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BI0GR5PHIA AMERICANA; 



A HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL ACCOUNT 



LIVES, ^CriO^S, eaJVD WEITIJ^GS, 



nfXOST DZSTIXiraVISBBD PERSON'S 



NORTH AMERICA; 



FROM THE FIKST SETTLEMENT TO THE PRESENT TIME. - ^ 



" If within the memory of man, or the compass of history, any class of iadividuals have merited, be- 
yond others, the honours and rewards of their colemporaries, the gratitude of posterity, and tl^ admira- 
tion of the world, it is those who, unmoved by difficulty, danger, and misfortune, directed the coupcila, 
and led to victory the arms of their country, in the long and sanguinary contest, which resulted in the 
INDEPENUENCE OF THE UNITED STATES." 

" No study can be more useful to the ingenuous youth of the United Slates, Mian that of their own histo- 
ry, Dor any examples more interesting, or more safe for their contemplation, than those of the great foua- 
ders of the republic,"— ^Turfor'a &fe ofOlis. 



BY A GENTLEMAN OF PHILADELPHIA 



p*^y '^' ^ 



^^ 



jyew-york: -^ o: 

PUBLISHED BY D. MALLORT 

182fy. 



Hopkins & Morris, Printr- 



e 



,^i« 



SoxUheni Distiict ofNtK-iorJc, 3s . 

BE IT REMEMBERED, that oil lliesecODfi Jay olJuly,iiitiie loity-iiintiiyearpf the Independence 
of the Uiltted States of America, B. F. French, of the said district, hath deposited in this office the title 
of a book, the right whereof he claims 33 author and proprietor, in the words following, to wit: 

" Biographia Americana; or, a historical and critical account of the lives, actions, and writings, of the 
most distinguished persons in North America ; from the first settlement to the present time. 

" If within the memory of man, or the compass of history, any class of individuals have merited, hc- 
youd others, the honours and rewards of their cotemporaries, (he gratitude of posterity, and the admira- 
tion of the world, it is those who, unmoved by difficulty, danger, and misfortune, directed the councils, 
and led to victory the arms of their country, in the long and sanguinary contest, which resulted in the 
INDEPENDENCE OF THE UNITED STATES." 

" No study can be more useful to the ingenuous youth of the United States, than that of their own histo- 
ry, nor any examples more interesting, or more safe for their contemplation, than those of the great foun- 
ders of the republic. Tudor''s Life of Otis. By a gentleman of Philadelphia." 

In conformity to the Act of Congress of the United States, entitled " An Act for the encouragement 
of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books to the authors and proprietors of such 
copies, during the time therein mentioned ;" and also to an Act, entitled " An Act supplementary to 
an Act, entitled an Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, 
and Books to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned, and ex- 
tending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints. 

JAMES DILL, 
- Clerk of the Southern Diftrict of fftrx-Yori 



ADVERTISEMENT 



The design of this volume is to laj before 
the reader a series of lives of the most illus- 
trious men of North America, from its first 
settlement to the present time — embracing a 
long list of distinguished individuals, whose 
fame will go down to posterity as the noblest 
monument to their country's glorj. 

This work, the most complete of its kind 
that has ever appeared, will be found, on ex- 
amination, to contain what has been long*con- 
sidered a desideratum in our literature — the 
lives of the signers of the declaration of in- 
dependence, and the constitution of the United 
States. 

It may be added, that the materials which 
form this work have been drawn from the 
highest and best authorities : and likewise, 
the numerous engravings which adorn it, may 
be relied on as faithful and correct likenesses. 



CONTENTS. 



■^ Q » 



Page 

Adams, Samuel 1 

Adams, John 4 

Adams, John Quincy ... 6 

Andros, Edmund .... 10 

Arnold, Benedict .... 11 

Bard, Samuel 14 

Burr, Aaron 16 

Bradford, William ... 17 

Bradford, William ... 19 

Boylston, Zabdiel ... 19 

Roylston, Nicholas ... 20 

Bowdoin, James .... 21 

Benezet, Anthony ... 22 

Bernard, Francis .... 23 

Backus, Isaac 25 

Bellamy, Joseph .... 25 

Belknap, Jeremy .... 26 

Bartram, John 27 

Bartram, William .... 28 

Barlow, Joel 30 

Barton, Benjamin Smith 32 

Brainerd, David 34 

Bainbridge, William . . 36 

Brown, Nicholas .... 38 

Boone, Daniel 39 

Bartlett, Josiah 41 

Brown, Charles Brockden 43 

Biddle, Nicholas .... 45 

Blair, John 4-8 

Baldwin, Abraham ... 49 

Brearly, David 49 

Bayard, James 50 

Clay, Henry 52 

Clayton, John 54 

Clarke, John 55 

Clap, Thomas 56 

Cutler,, Timothy .... 57 



Page 
Chauncey, Charles ... 58 

Clymer, George 59 

Carver, John 61 

Carver, Jonathan .... 63 
Calvert, Leonard .... 64 
Colman, Benjamin ... 66 
Chauncey, Charles ... 67 
Clinton, De Witt .... 69 

Carroll, John 71 

Clinton, George 72 

Coddington, William . . 74 
Colden, Cadvvallader . . 75 

Cooper, Samuel 77 

Cotton, John 78 

Gushing, Thomas .... 79 
Crawford, William ... 80 
Danforth, Thomas .... 83 
Davenport, John .... 83 

Davies, Samuel 84 

Decatur, Stephen .... 86 
Dickinson, John .... 90 
Dickinson, Jonathan . . . 91 
Dallas, Alexander James 92 
Davie, William Richardson 93 
Dvvight, Timothy .... 96 
Edwards, Jonathan . . .100 
Edwards, Jonathan . . . 103 

Elliot, John 103 

Ellsworth, Oliver .... 106 
Eaton, Theophilus . . . 108 

Fulton, Robert 110 

Franklin, Benjamin . . 113 

Floyd, William 118 

Fayette, Marquis de la . 119 
Greene, Nathaniel . . . 135 
Gwinnett, Button .... 132 
Gates, Horatio 1 33 



VI 



Page 
Gorham, Nathaniel . . .134 

Gage, Thomas 135 

Henry, Patrick 137 

Hamilton, Alexander . . 143 

Harvard, John 150 

Hooker, Thomas .... 150 

Hollis, Thomas 15t 

Huntington, Samuel . . 151 
Hopkins, Samuel .... 153 

Hall, Lyman 154 

Heath, William 155 

Hopkinson, Francis. . . 157 

Hancock, John 158 

Hutchinson, Thomas . . 161 
Hey ward, Thomas . . .162 

Jefferson, Thomas 164 

Jackson, Andrew . . . . 168 

Jay, John 179 

King, Rufus 181 

Knox, Henry 183 

KoUock, Henry 185 

Laurens, Henry 190 

Linn, John Blair .... 192 
Lewis, Meriwether . . .193 

Ledyard, John 194 

Livingston, Robert R . .197 
Livingston, William . . 198 
Livingston, Philip . . . 200 
Lincoln, Benjamin . . . 202 
Lee, Richard Henry . . . 204 

Lee, Arthur 206 

Logan, James 207 

Lynch, Thomas 208 

Morris, Robert 211 

Morgan, Daniel 214 

Montgomery Richard . .216 
Morton, Nathaniel . , . 216 
Moultrie, Wilham . . .217 

Monroe, James 218 

Murray, William Vans . 221 
Minot, George Richards . 222 

Mifflin, Thomas 223 

May hew, Jonathan . . . 224 

Morgan, John 225 

Morris, Gouverneur , . . 227 
Marshall. John 22S 



Mather, Increase 
Mather, Cotton , 
Madison, James 
Norton, John . 
Otis, James . . 
Putnam, Israel 
Parsons, Theophilus 
Robert Treat 
David . . . . 
Perry, Oliver Hazard 
Pike, Zebulon M. 
Pinckney, Charles 
Pinckney, William 
Paine, Robert Treat 
Paine, Thomas . . 
Penn, William . . . 
Preble, Edward . . 
Pinckney, Charles C 
Quincy, Josiah . • 
Rush, Benjamin • • 
Rittenhouse, David 
Read, George . . . 
Randolph, Peyton • 
Rutiedge, John . • 
Rutledge, Edward . 
Ramsay, David . • 
Redman, John . • • 
Sullivan, John . . . 
Stockton, Richard . 
Sherman, Roger . . 
Smith, Samuel Stanh 
Shippen, William . 
Stoddard, Solomon 
Stiles, Ezra .... 
Sullivan, James . . 
Stark, John .... 
Stewart, Charles . . 
Schuyler, Philip . 
Trumbull, John . • 
Tappan, David . . 
Trumbull, Jonathan 
Thornton, Matthew 
Tompkins, Daniel D 
Whipple, William . 
Willard, Samuel. • 
Williams, Roger • 



ope 



114 



vn 



Warren, Joseph . , 

Wayne, Anthony , 
Williamson, Hugh 
West, Samuel • . , 
Winthrop, John . • 
Winthrop, John . • 
Wistar, Caspar . . • 
Wilkinson, James • 



Page 

316 Wythe, George . . . 

320 Washington, George 

322 West, Benjamin . 

324 Walton, George . 

325 Williams, William 
327 Wolcotl, Oliver . 
331 Wilson, Alexander 
333 Ward, Artemas . 



Page 
334 
$88 
347 
350 
351 
352 
354 
356 



BIOGRAPHIA AMERICANA. 



Adams, Samuel, a distingiiislied statesman and 
patriot, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, Sep- 
tember 27, 1722. His ancestors were very re- 
spectable, and among the first settlers of New-Eng- 
land. 

In the years 1740 and '43, he graduated at Har- 
vard college, and received the respective degrees of 
bachelor and master of arts. On the latter occasion, 
he proposed the following question for discussion : 
" Whether it be lawful to resist the supreme ma- 
gistrate, if the commonwealth cannot be otherwise 
preserved." He maintained the affirmative of this 
proposition, and thus evinced, at this early period 
of his life, his attachment to the liberties of the 
people. Mr. Adams was known as a political writer 
during the administration of governor Shirley, of 
Massachusetts, to whom he was opposed, as he 
conceived the union of so much military and civil 
power in one man, to be dangerous. 

When the stamp act was the subject of conver- 
sation, of public resentment, and succeeding tu- 
mults, Mr. Adams was one of those important 
characters who appeared to oppose it every step. 
Nor were the taxes upon tea, oil, and colours, 
less odious to the Americans than the stamp act; 
on this occasion he boldly opposed the risrht of 

1 



0), 



Great Britain to tax the colonies, in a remonstrance 
of some length, which is the first public document 
we have on record denying the right of the British 
parliament to tax the colonies Avithout their own 
consent. 

In consequence of the act of imposing duties in 
1767, Mr. Adams suggested a non-importation 
agreement with the merchants, which was agreed 
to and signed by nearly all of them in the pro- 
vince. 

At a very early period of the controversy with 
Great Britain, Mr. Adams suggested the impor- 
tance of establishing committees of correspondence, 
and was first adopted by Massachusetts, on a mo- 
tion of Mr. Adams, at a public town-meeting in 
Boston. This plan was afterwards followed by all 
the provinces. 

He was afterwards the first to suggest a congress 
of the colonies. 

After every method had been tried to induce Mr. 
Adams to abandon the cause of his country, he 
was at length proscribed, in connexion with John 
Hancock, by a general proclamation issued by gov- 
ernor Gage, June 12, 1775. 

In 1774 he was elected a member of the gene- 
ral congress. — In 1776, on the 4th of July, he was 
one of those patriots, who fearlessly subscribed their 
'Mives," their ''fortunes," and their "honour," to 
the immortal Declaration of Independence. 

Our patriots, in their progress to independence, 
had successfully encountered many formidable ob- 
stacles; but in the year 1777, still greater difficul- 
ties arose, at the prospect of w^iich some of the 
stoutest hearts began to falter. At this critical 
juncture there were but twenty-eight members who 
attended the congress at Philadelphia. With re- 
ference to it Mr. Adams was said to reply, "It 
was the smallest, but the truest congress they ever 
had." 

In 1779. he Avas appointed by the state conven- 



tioii, one of tlie committee to prepare and report a 
form of government for Massachusetts. At the 
close of the war he opposed a peace with Great 
Britain, unless the northern states retained their 
full privileges in the fisheries. 

In 1787 he was chosen a member of the Massa- 
chusetts convention, for the ratification of the con- 
stitution of the United States. He made several 
objections to it, which were afterwards removed by 
its being altered to his wishes. 

In 1789 he was elected lieutenant-governor of 
the state of Massachusetts, and continued to fill 
that oflice till 1794, when he was elected gover- 
nor. He was annually re-elected till .1797, when 
his age and infirmities induced him to retire from 
public office. He died October 3, 1803, aged eigh- 
ty-one years. 

The leading traits in the character of Mr. Adams 
were an unconquerable love of liberty, integrity, 
firmness, and decision. Governor Hutchinson, in an- 
swer to the inquiry, why Mr. Adams was not taken off 
from his opposition by an office, writes to a friend 
in England — " Such is the obstinacy and inflexible 
disposition of the man, that he never can be con- 
ciliated by any office or gift whatever." 

To a majestic countenance and dignified manners, 
there was added a suavity of temper, which concili- 
ated the affection of his acquaintance. Among his 
friends he was cheerful and companionable, a lover 
of chaste wit, and remarkably fond of anecdote. 
His mind was early imbued with piety, as well as 
cultivated by science. 

The independence of the United States of Ame- 
rica is perhaps to be attributed as much to his ex- 
ertions, as to the exertions of any one man. 

His writings were numerous, and much cele- 
brated for their elegance and fervour, but they are 
only to be found in the perishable columns of a 
newspaper or pamphlet. 

In 1790 a few letters passed between him and 



Mr. John Adams, then vice-president, in which 
the principles of government are discussed. This 
correspondence was published in 1800. 



Adams, John, LL. I>. second president of the 
United States, and a political writer of consider- 
able reputation, was descended from one of the 
most respectable families who founded the colony 
of Massachusetts, and was born at Braintree, Octo- 
ber 19, 1735. 

At an early age he was distinguished for his 
scholarship, and graduated at Harvard college. 
He then entered on the study of the law, and in a 
few years rose to distinguished eminence in his 
profession. 

His first publication was "An Essay on Canon 
and Feudal Law," a work of considerable merit, 
learning, and research. He afterwards employed 
his pen in the cause of his country, which had no 
little influence in exciting the spirit of the revolu- 
tion, and in diffusing a general acquaintance of the 
principles of civil liberty among his fellow citizens 
throughout all the colonies. 

Such was his high standing for stern integrity 
and abilities as a statesman and a lawyer, that he 
was unanimously chosen a member of the first con- 
gress, which met at Philadelphia in 1774, and re- 
elected in the following year. 

In that august assembly of sages, philosophers, 
and statesmen, whose deliberations will never cease 
to reflect their effulgence on the nations of the 
world, he uniformly stood in the first rank, and 
bore a distinguished and conspicuous part in all the 
discussions of that eventful period, which finally 
ended in a separation of the colonies from Great 
Britain. 

He was one of the first to perceive that a cordial 



reconciliation with Great Britain was impossible; 
and was therefore one of the most conspicuous mem- 
bers who were appointed to draft the ever memor- 
able Declaration of Independence, which, after 
considerable discussion, w^as passed July 4,1776, 
declaring these United States free, sovereign, and 
independent. 

In the next year, Mr. Adams was appointed joint 
commissioner with Drs. Franklin and Lee, to pro- 
ceed to the court of Versailles, to negotiate a treaty 
of alliance and commerce. 

In 1779 he returned home, and was elected a 
member of the convention which met to frame a 
constitution for his native state. In this assem- 
blage of talents and wisdom, his labours as a states- 
man were pre-eminent; and the constitution in- 
debted for many of her most excellent provisions. 

In 1780, he was commissioned by congress to 
proceed to Europe, to conciliate the favour and 
obtain assistance from the powers on the con- 
tinent, in our arduous struggle for independence. 
By his superior address he procured from the 
Dutch, the necessary sums for carrying on the war, 
as well as concluded a treaty of commerce with 
the republic of the United Netherlands. He after- 
wards went to Paris, and assisted in concluding 
the general peace. 

Mr. Adams was next appointed the first minister 
to the court of Great Britain. During his stay in 
Europe, he published his celebrated Defence of the 
Constitutions of the United States, in which he 
advocates, as the principles of a free government, 
equal representation, of which number, or proper- 
ty, or both, should be a rule ; a total separation of 
the executive from the legislative power, and of 
the judicial from both ; and a balance in the legisla- 
ture by three independent, equal branches. " If there 
is one certain truth," says he, " to be collected from 
the history of all ages, it is this : that the people's 
rights and liberties, and the democratical mixture 



G 

in a constitution, can never be preserved witiiout a 
strong executive ; or in other words, without sepa- 
rating the executive power from the legislative." 

Mr. Adams, after having twice filled the office 
of vice-president of the United States, was, in the 
year 1706, called by the almost unanimous suffrage 
of his fellow citizens, to fill the presidential chair, 
which had been vacated by the resignation of Wash- 
ington. 

This office he filled with his usual ability until 
the expiration of the term for which he w as elected, 
when, like his great predecessor, he retired from 
office, after having faithfully served his country, 
and contributed to her happiness and prosperity, 
to spend the remainder of his days as a private 
citizen. 



Adams, John Quincy, LL. D. sixth president 
of the United States, was born at Braintree, Mas- 
sachusetts, July 11, 1767. At the age of eleven 
yeaars he accompanied his father to Europe, and 
before he had attained the age of eighteen, acquired 
most of her principal languages, and resided in most 
of her celebrated capitals. 

In 1785, at his own request, he was permitted by 
his father to return home, and finish his education 
in his own country. In two years afterwards, he 
graduated at Harvard college, and commenced the 
study of the law in the office of the late chief justice 
Parsons. 

In 1790, he was admitted to practice in the courts 
of Massachusetts, and fixed his residence in Boston. 

In 1791, he published a series of papers in the 
Boston Centinel, under the signature of Publicola, 
containing remarks upon the first part of Paine's 
Rights of Man, which excited much public notice in 
this country, as well as in Europe. 

In 1793-4, he published various political essays. 



which did honour to his talents, and drew upon him 
the notice of president Washington, who afterwards 
selected him for the important post of minister re- 
sident to the Netherlands. 

From this period, until 1801, he was successively 
employed as a public minister in Holland, England, 
and Prussia. And during his residence in the latter 
country, he concluded a treaty of commerce with 
that power, to the entire satisfaction of our cabinet. 

In 1801, he returned to the United States, and the 
next year was elected a member of the senate of 
Massachusetts, and in 1803, of the senate of the 
United States. He passed, altogether, six years in 
these two bodies, engaged indefatigably and promi- 
nently, in the important questions which occupied 
their attention. 

It was during this perplexing period of public 
affairs, that he nobly sacrificed the interest of party 
to that of his country, by which he has more firmly 
interwoven his name in the annals of his country. 

In consequence of his appointment of first Boyls- 
ton professor of rhetoric and oratory in the uni- 
versity of Cambridge, he resigned his seat in the 
senate of the United States in the year 1808. 

He had no sooner completed a most brilliant 
course of lectures on rhetoric and oratory, in that 
renowned institution, when he received, unsolicited, 
from president Madison, the appointment of minis- 
ter plenipotentiary to the court of Russia. 

In 1813, Mr. Gallatin and Mr. Bayard arrived 
at St. Petersburg, empowered to negotiate, jointly 
with Mr. Adams, a treaty of peace with Great Bri- 
tain, under the mediation of Russia. The British 
government declined the mediation, but proposed a 
direct negotiation, which finally took place at Ghent, 
in 1814, with Mr. Adams as its head, on the Ameri- 
can side. 

This event is too recent and important, to make 
it necessary to say any thing further in praise of the 



abilities and talents of Mr. Adams, as a diplomatist 
and statesman. 

At the termination of this successful mission, Mr. 
Adams repaired to London, and there concluded, 
jointly with Mr. Clay and Mr. Gallatin, a commercial 
convention. Our government having appointed him, 
immediately after the ratification of the peace of 
Ghent, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipo- 
tentiary to the British court, he remained in London 
in that capacity, until the summer of 1817, when he 
was called home by president Monroe, to fill the 
office of secretary of state. 

To give even an outline of his labours, and of the 
business which has been done since he has entered 
upon the duties of this high and responsible oflice, 
would swell this article to an immoderate size'; we 
shall therefore content ourselves by briefly enume- 
rating a few leading facts only. Under his instruc- 
tions, a commercial convention was negotiated with 
Great Britain in 1818. 

In 1819, he signed the Florida treaty with Don 
Luis de Onis, which gave to us not only the Flo- 
ridas, and an indemnity of five millions of dollars 
for our merchants, but the first acknowledged boun- 
dary from the rocky mountains to the Pacific. 

In 1822, he signed with the ambassador of France, 
a convention of commerce and navigation, which 
was unanimously ratified by the senate. 

To great talent, Mr. Adams unites unceasing 
industry and perseverance, and an uncommon faci- 
lity in the execution of business. He is an excel- 
lent classical scholar, and an erudite jurist ; and 
speaks and writes several foreign languages. He 
has all the penetration and shrewdness necessary to 
constitute an able diplomatist, united with a capa- 
city to perceive, and the eloquence to enforce, what- 
ever will conduce to the welfare and interests of his 
countrv. 



9 

Ames, Fisher, LL. D. a distinguished states- 
man, was born at Dedham, Massachusetts, on the 
9th April, 1758. At the age of twelve years, he 
entered Harvard college, and in 1774, he obtained 
the degree of bachelor of arts. , 

After spending several years in revising his studies, 
and acquiring other solid information, he at length 
commenced the study of the law, in the office of 
William Tuder, Esq. of Boston, and was admitted to 
the bar in 1781. 

Rising into life about the period of the American 
revolution, he took a most lively and affectionate 
interest in her cause, and appeared with great re- 
putation, as a writer of political essays, under the 
signatures first of Lucius Junius, and afterwards of 
Camillus. At the bar, young as he was, he was 
remarked as a pleader of uncommon eloquence, 
and a counsellor of judgment extraordinary for his 
years. 

In 1788, he was amember of the convention called 
in that state, for the purpose of ratifying the federal 
constitution. It was here, that for the first time, his 
powers of eloquence opened with a splendour that 
astonished, while it dazzled the assembly and the 
public. 

His celebrated speech on biennial elections, de- 
livered on this occasion, was not only able and con- 
clusive in argument, but was justly regarded as a 
finished model of parliamentary eloquence. 

In 1789, he was elected a representative to con- 
gress, and for eight successive years, he was a leading 
member of the house of representatives. 

His speech on the appropriation bill for carrying 
into eflect our treaty with Great Britain, was the 
most august specimen of oratory he ever exhibited, 
and perhaps is not exceeded by any event in the 
history of eloquence. 

In consideration of his rank as a statesman and 
a scholar, the college of Princeton conferred on him 
the honorary degree of doctor of laws. 

2' 



10 

On his retiremeiili to private and professional 
life, ever watchful of the rights and interests of his 
country, he still kept up his contributions to politi- 
cal literature as long as he was able to exercise his 
pen. 

In 1804, he was chosen president of Harvard col- 
lege, but the infirm state of his health obliged him 
to decline the honour. 

From this period, his health gradually declined, 
until the morning of the 4th July, 1808, when he 
ended his mortal career, and was gathered to his 
fathers. 

Mr. Ames possessed a vigorous understanding, and 
a rich and fertile imagination. As a statesman and 
an orator of transcendent abilities, he was fitted for 
the management of the weightiest concerns ; as a 
patriot and legislator of tried integrity, he was the 
idol of his country. 

In conversation, he was as eloquent as in public 
debate. In his manners towards his friends he was 
easy and elegant, affable and warm, inviting confi- 
dence, and inspiring affection ; in his intercourse 
with the world, polite, yet dignified, modest and well 
bred ; thus to the qualifications of a statesman, and 
the attainments of a scholar, uniting the habits and 
deportment of a gentleman. His works have been 
published in one volume, octavo. 



Andros, Edmu.nd, governor of New-England.— 
Previous to this appointment in 1674, he was ap- 
pointed governor of the province of New-York. In 
1686, December 20, he arrived at Boston with a 
commission from King James, for the government 
of New-England. His administration soon proved 
oppressive and tyrannical — exorbitant taxes were 
levied, the press restrained, the congregational 
ministers were threatened to be deprived of their 



support fur non-couformity, and marriage prohi- 
bited, unless the parties entered into bonds with 
sureties, to be forfeited in case there should after- 
wards appear to have been any lawful impediment ; 
besides a long list of other arbitrary proceedings, 
which caused the people in defence of civil and re- 
ligious liberty, for which they sought in the wilds of 
America, to take up arms on the morning of the 18th 
April, 1689, when the governor and about fifty 
other obnoxious persons were seized and confined. 
The old magistrates were restored, and the next 
month the joyful news of the revolution in England 
reached this country, and quieted all apprehen- 
sion of the consequences of what had been done. 
In February following, sir Edmund was sent to 
England for trial : he was there dismissed without 
trial. 

In 1692, he was appointed governor of Virginia. 
He died in February, 1714. 



Arnold, Benedict, a major general of the 
American army,^ and infamous for deserting the 
cause of his country. At an early period he exhi- 
bited a mind formed for bold and desperate enter- 
prise. In 1775, on hearing of the battle at Lex- 
ington, he repaired to head-quarters at Cambridge, 
where he received the appointment of colonel. In 
the fall of the same year, he was sent by the com- 
mander-in-chief into Canada. After enduring in- 
credible hardships for six weeks, he arrived at 
Point Levi, opposite to Quebec. On the 1st De- 
cember he was joined by Montgomery. The city 
was immediately besieged ; and on the morning of 
the last day of the year, an assault was made on 
one side of the city by Montgomery, who was kill- 
ed ; at the same time Arnold made a desperate 
attack on the opposite side : he received a wound. 



12 

and was taken immediately to the camp : though 
the assault proved unsuccessful, the army did not 
leave Canada till the 18th June following. After 
this period, he exhibited great bravery in the com- 
mand of the American fleet on lake Champlain. 

In August 1777, he relieved fort Schuyler, which 
was invested by colonel St. Leger, with-an army 
of from 15 to 1800 men. On the 19th September, 
and the 7th of October, he displayed great bravery 
in the battles near Stillwater. After the evacua- 
tion of Philadelphia by the British, he was appoint- 
ed to the command of the American garrison at this 
place. On taking command, he made the house of 
governor Penn, the best house of the city, his head- 
quarters. This he furnished in a very costly man- 
ner, and lived far beyond his income. He was 
charged with oppression, extortion, and enormous 
charges upon the public in his accounts, and with 
applying the public money and property to his own 
private use. His conduct was condemned by a 
court martial, held in 1779, and the sentence of a 
reprimand, on being approved of by congress, was 
soon afterwards carried into effect. He continued 
in service till 1780, when he opened a correspond- 
ence with Sir Henry Clinton, for betraying West- 
Point to the British, in which negotiation major 
Andre became a victim. Arnold had a narrow es- 
cape, and got on board an English ship of war. 
He continued to serve the British till the end of the 
war, and at the peace retired to England, where he 
had a pension. He died in London, June 14, 1801. 
His character presents little to be recommended. 
His progress from self-indulgence to treason was 
easy and rapid. He was vain and luxurious, and 
to gratify his giddy desires, he must resort to 
meanness, dishonesty, and extortion. These vices 
brought with them disgrace, and the contempt into 
which he fell awakened a spirit of revenge, and left 
him to the unrestrained influence of his cupidity 
and passion. Thus from the high fame to which 



13 

his bravery had elevated him, he descended into 
infamy. Thus too he furnished new evidence 
of the infatuation of the human mind, in attaching 
such value to the reputation of a soldier, which 
may be obtained while the heart is unsound, and 
every moral sentiment is entirely depraved. 



14 



Bard, Samuel, M. D. LL. D. president of the 
college of physicians and surgeons, in the univer- 
sity of New- York, was born in Philadelphia, on the 
1st April, 1742. His father was Dr. John Bard, a 
distinguished physician of New- York, and memo- 
rable for being the first person who performed a 
dissection, and taught anatomy by demonstration, 
on this side of the Atlantic* At the age of 14 years 
he entered King's college, under the private pupil- 
age of Dr. Cutting. While at college he gave some 
attention to the study of medicine, and afterw^ards 
devoted himself to the profession, under the auspices 
of his father. In the fall of 1760, he sailed for Eu- 
rope, and was taken by a French privateer and car- 
ried into Bayonne. Upon his release in the spring 
of 1761, he proceeded to London, and at the re- 
commendation of Dr. Fothergill, was received into 
St. Thomas's hospital, as the assistant of Dr. Russel, 
the celebrated author of the History of Aleppo. 
He continued in that capacity until his departure for 
Edinburgh, enjoying in the mean time the instruc- 
tions of Drs. Else, Grieve, and Akenside the poet. 
At the time of Dr. Bard's arrival in Edinburgh, that 
celebrated school was in the meridian of its glory. 
Dr. Robertson, the historian, was its principal ; and 
Rutherford, Whytt, Cullen, the Munros, the elder 
Gregory, and Hope, its professors. 

In 1765 he graduated, after having defended and 
published an inaugural essay, (not unworthy of his 
pen in the brightest period of his fame,) ^Ule viribus 
ojni,^^ and left Edinburgh loaded with honour, in 
consequence of having obtained the prize offered 
by Dr. Hope, for the best herbarium of the indige- 

^ In 1750, Dr. John Bard dissected the bodj of Hcrmannus Carroll, who had 
been executed for murder; and injected the blood vessels for the use ot his 
pupils. 



nous vegetables of Scotland. In 1765, he returned 
to New- York, and commenced the practice of me- 
dicine in connexion with his father. On the esta- 
blishment of the medical school in New-York, in 
1768, Dr. Bard was appointed to teach the theory 
and practice of physic. At the first commencement 
held in 1769, Dr. Bard delivered an address to the 
first medical graduates; and while he discoursed 
upon the duties of a physician, he at the same time 
urged the necessity and importance of an hospital ; 
So great was the effect produced by this discourse, 
that on the very day on which it was delivered, eight 
hundred pounds sterling was subscribed towards its 
erection. 

On the commencement of hostilities in 1776, the 
operations of the medical school was necessarily 
suspended. On the restoration of peace, after se- 
veral abortive attempts to revive it, the trustees of 
Columbia college resolved to place it upon a per- 
manent foundation, by annexing in 1792, the faculty 
of physic to that institution. Dr. Bard was con- 
tinued as the professor of the theory and practice 
of medicine, and was afterwards appointed dean of 
the faculty. The New- York dispensary, and the 
city library, are very much indebted to his active 
exertions. In 1795, he took Dr. Hosack into part- 
nership; and in 1798, retired into the country, 
where he zealously engaged in the pursuits of agri- 
culture. In 1806, he was elected president of the 
agricultural society of Dutchess county. In 1811, 
he was elected an honorary member of the college 
of physicians of Philadelphia. In 1813, on the es- 
tablishment of the college of physicians and surge- 
ons, in the city of New- York, he was chosen its 
president, and retained the office until his death. 

In 1816, the degree of doctor of laws was con- 
ferred on him by Princeton college. 

Dr. Bard closed his valuable, exemplary, and chris- 
tian life, on the 25th May, 1821, at the advanced age 
of 79. — In whatever light the character of Dr. Bard 



16 

may be viewed, it must elicit admiration, and ex- 
hibit itself in the commanding attitude of a model. 

As a president of the college of physicians and • 
surgeons. Dr. Bard presided over the destinies of me- 
dical science with a dignity and impartiality, which 
commanded the respect of all. 

As a professor, Dr. Bard deservedly ranks among 
the first whom this country has produced. Pro- 
foundly versed in the department, which it was his 
province to te<icli, he communicated to his pupils 
the lessons of wisdom and experience, in a style of 
eloquence at once simple, dignified, and interesting. 

As an author, Dr. Bard deserves and holds no 
humble station. Though he did not aspire to the am- 
bition of being distinguished as an author, yet his 
writings are distinguished for purity and rich clas- 
sical taste. 

His work on Midwifery has already passed through 
six editions, and no doubt will long perpetuate the 
name and reputation of its author. 



Burr, Aaron, DD. a learned divine, and pre- 
sident of Princeton college, New-Jersey, was born 
in the year 1714, at Fairfield, Connecticut. He 
was graduated at Yale college, in 1735. In 1742 
he was invited to take the pastoral charge of the 
presbyterian church at Newark. Here he became 
so eminent as an able and learned divine, and an 
accomplished scholar, that in 1748, he was unani- 
mously elected President of the college, (which 
he was instrumental in founding,) as successor to 
Mr. Dickinson. The college was removed about 
this time from Elizabeth-Town to Newark, and in 
1757 to Princeton. The flourishing state of this 
institution is much owing to his great and assiduous 
exertions. By his influence with the legislature, 
he got the charter enlarged in 1746. In 1748 the 



first year of his presidency, tiie first class was gra- 
duated. 

He presided over tlie college with great dignity, 
and possessed a liappy manner in communicating 
his sentiments. In the pulpit he shone with supe- 
rior lustre ; he was fluent, copious, sublime, and 
persuasive. He was distinguished for his public 
>spirit ; he had a high sense of English liberty, and 
detested despotic power as the bane of human hap- 
piness. He considered the heresy of Arius or So- 
cinus as not more fatal to the purity of the gospel, 
than the positions of Filmer to the dignity of man 
and the repose of states. 

In 17.52 he married a daughter of Rev. Jonathan 
Edwards, his successor in the presidency of the 
college, by whom he had two children, one of 
which was x4aron Burr, late vice-president of the 
United States. After a life of usefulness, devoted 
to his Master in heaven, he was called into the 
eternal world, September 24, 1757. He published 
a valuable treatise, entitled, the Supreme Deity of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, besides sermons. 



Bradford, Willia^i, second governor of Ply- 
mouth colony, and one of the first settlers of New- 
England, was born in the North of England, in 
1588. He left England and proceeded to Amster- 
dam to enjoy peace of conscience. After a resi- 
dence there of ten years, he joined the church at 
Leyden, under the care of Mr. Robinson, who had 
agreed to transport themselves to America. They 
reached Plymouth in 1620 ; in the following year 
govei'nor Carver died, and Mr. Bradford was elect- 
ed governor in his place. Governor Bradford was 
most conspicuous for wisdom, fortitude, piety,. and 
benevolence. In those times, when their souls were 
tried with everv difficulty, he was not cast down 



with the discouraging state ol' their atiairs, or by 
the clouds which covered tlieir future prospects. 

The original government of Plymouth was found- 
ed entirely upon mutual compact, entered into by 
the planters before they landed, and was intended 
to continue no longer than till they could obtain 
legal authority from their sovereign. The first pa- 
tent was obtained for the colony in the name of 
John Peirce ; but another patent was obtained of 
the council for New-England, Jan. 13, 1630, in 
the name of William Bradford, his heirs, associates, 
and assigns, which confirmed the title of the colo- 
nists to a large tract of land, and gave them power 
to make all laws not repugnant to the laws of Eng- 
land. For several of the first years after the first 
settlement of Plymouth, the legislative, executive, 
and judicial business was performed by the whole 
body of freemen in assembly. 

In 1634, the governor and assistants, the number 
of whom at the request of Mr. Bradford, had been 
increased to five in 1624, and to seven in 1633, 
were constituted a judicial court, and afterwards 
the supreme judicature. Petty offences were tried 
by the selectmen of each town, with liberty of ap- 
peal to the next court of assistants. The first as- 
sembly of representatives was held in 1639, when 
two deputies were sent from each town, excepting 
Plymouth, which sent four. In 1649, this inequality 
was done away. Such was the reputation of Mr. 
Bradford, that for thirty years the people placed 
him at the head of the government. He died May 
9, 1657. 

Governor Bradford wrote a history of Plymouth- 
people and colony, beginning with the first forma- 
tion of the church in 1602, and ending with 1646. 
It was contained in a folio volume of 270 pages. 
Martin's Memorial is an abridgment of it. 



19 

Bradford, William, attorney general of the 
United States, was born in Philadelphia, Septem- 
ber 14, 1755; and was graduated at Princeton 
college in 1772. He commenced the study of the 
law under Edward Shippen, Esq. late chief justice 
of Pennsylvania ; and prosecuted his studies with 
unwearied application. In 1776 he joined the 
standard of his country, and fought in defence of 
her rights. In 1779 he recommenced the study of 
the law, and in September following was admit- 
ted to the bar of the supreme court of Pennsyl- 
vania. In 1780 he was appointed attorney general 
of the state. 

In 1784 he married the daughter of Elias Boudi- 
not, of New-Jersey, with whom he lived in the ex- 
ercise of every domestic virtue, that adorns human 
nature. In 1791 he was appointed by governor 
Mifflin, judge of the supreme court of Pennsylva- 
nia. Here he had determined to spend a consider- 
able part of his life ; but on the promotion of Mr. 
Edmund Randolph to the office of secretary of 
state, as successor of Mr. Jefferson, he was urged 
by various public considerations to accept the office 
of attorney general of the United States, now left 
vacant. He accordingly received the appointment 
January 28, 1794. He continued only a short time 
in this station, to which he was elevated by Wash- 
ington. He died August 23, 1795. He published 
in 1793, an Inquiry how far the Punishment of 
Death is necessary in Pennsylvania; with notes 
and illustrations. 



BoYLSTON, Zabdiel, F. R. S. an eminent phy- 
sician, was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, 
1684. In the year 1721, when the small pox was 
raging in Boston, at the recommendation of Dr. 
Cotton Mather, he was the first who introduced 



2^ 

the' iiioeiilation of the small pox into America, 
at the risk of his reputation and life. He visited 
England in 1725, and was received with the most 
flattering attention, and was admitted to the inti- 
macy and friendship of some of the most distin- 
guished characters of that nation. He was elected 
a member of tlie royal society. He had the plea- 
sure of seeing inoculation universally practised, and 
of knowing that he was himself considered as one 
of the benefactors of mankind. He died March 1, 
1766. Dr. Boylston published several communica- 
tions in the Philosophical Transactions ; some ac- 
count of inoculation, or transplanting the small pox, 
by the learned Dr. E. Timonius and J. Pylarinus ; 
also an historical account of the small pox inocu- 
lation in New-Ensrland. 



Boylston, Nicholas, a benefactor of Harvard 
college. He had been an eminent merchant, and 
was about to retire from business to enjoy the fruit 
of his industry, when he was removed from this 
earth, August 18, 1771. He bequeathed to Har- 
vard college 1,.500 pounds, for laying the foundation 
of a professorship of rhetoric and oratory. This 
sum was paid into the college treasury by his ex- 
ecutors, Feburary 11, 1772. And the fund accumu- 
lated to 23,200 dollars, before any appropriation 
was made. The hon. John Quincy Adams, son of 
president Adams, and at that time a senator of the 
United States, was installed the first professor, 
June 12, 1806, with the title of "the Boylston pro- 
fressor of rhetoric and oratory in Harvard college." 



2[ 

BowDOiN, James, LL. D. a distinguished phi- 
losopher and statesman, was born in Boston, Au- 
gust 18, 1727. He was graduated at Harvard col- 
lege in 1745^ In 1756 he was chosen a member 
of the council, where his learning and eloquence 
soon rendered him conspicuous. He early es- 
poused the cause of his country, and advocated 
her rights with great ability and patriotism. In 
1770, the people of Boston elected him their re- 
presentative. He was likewise one of the committee 
that drew the answer to the governor's speeches, 
where he asserted and endeavoured to prove, by 
strong arguments, the right of Great Britain to tax 
America. By this he had the honour of being 
negatived by governor Gage, in 1774, who declar- 
ed that "he had express orders from his majesty to 
set aside that board, the hon. Mr. Bowdoin, Mr. 
Dexter, and Mr. Winthrop." During this memor- 
able year he was chosen a delegate to meet at 
Philadelphia, which was the first congress of the 
United States, but was prevented from attending 
his duty by his ill state of health. Mr. Hancock 
was afterwards chosen in his place. He was next 
chosen president of the council of Massachusetts ; 
which office he held the greater part of the time, till 
the adoption of the state constitution in 1780. He 
was president of the convention which formed it ; 
and some of its most important articles are the re- 
sult of his knowledge of government. During the 
years of 1785 and 1786, he was elected governor 
of the state. At this eventful period, by his firm- 
ness and inflexible integrity, for which he was con- 
spicuous, he quelled the dangerous insurrection of 
Shays, which threatened a subversion of the con- 
stitution. By this decisive step he rescued the 
government from contempt into which it Avas sink- 
ing, and was the means of saving the common- 
wealth. When the constitution was planned, and 
the Massachusetts convention met to consider 
whether it should be adopted, Mr. Bowdoin was 



22 

at the head of the Boston delegation, all of whom 
voted in favour of it. He made a very handsome 
speech upon the occasion, which may be read in 
the volume of their debates. From this time he 
changed the tumult of public scenes for domestic 
peace, and the satisfactions of study. Governor 
Bowdoin was a learned man, and a constant and 
generous friend of literature. When the American 
Academy of Arts and Sciences was instituted, he 
was appointed the first president, and continued 
in that office till his death. He was esteemed by 
its members as the pride and ornament of their in- 
stitution. To this institution he left his valuable 
library and one hundred pounds. His literary at- 
tainments were not confined to his own country. 
He was a member of several foreign societies. He 
received a diploma of doctor of laws from several 
of the universities in Europe, and from Philadel- 
phia, as well as his alma mater at Cambridge. To 
this institution he was a munificent friend. His 
charities were abundant. He was an exemplary 
christian : for more than 30 years he was a mem- 
ber of Brattle-street church. He died universally 
lamented, November 6, 1790. He published a 
philosophical discourse, publicly addressed to the 
American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Bos- 
ton, November 8, 1780, when he was inducted 
into the office of president. This is prefixed to 
the first volume of the memoirs of the academy. 
In this work he also published several philosophi- 
cal papers. His letters to Dr. Franklin have also 
been published. 



Benezet, Anthony, a distinguished philanthro- 
pist, was born January 31, 1713. He was bred a 
merchant, but being desirous of engaging in a pur- 
suit which was not so adapted to excite a worldly 



zr.i 



spirit, and which would afford him more leisure Ibi* 
the duties of religion, and for the exercise of that 
benevolent spirit, for which, during the course of a 
long life he was so conspicuous; he accepted, in 
1742, the appointment of instructer in the Friends' 
English school of Philadelphia, which place he con- 
tinued to fill till about two years before his death. 
The last two years of his life he spent in the in- 
struction of the blacks. In doing this he did not 
consult his worldly interest, but was influenced by a 
regard to the welfare of that miserable class of be- 
ings, whose minds had been debased by servitude. 
He wished to contribute something towards render- 
ing them fit for the enjoyment of that freedom, to 
which many of them had been restored. 

This amiable man seemed to have nothing else at 
heart but the good of his fellow creatures ; and the 
last act of his life was to take from his desk six 
dollars for a poor widow. 

Regarding all mankind as children of one com- 
mon father, and members of one great family, he was 
anxious that oppression and tyranny should cease, 
and that men should live together in mutual kind- 
ness and affection. 

His writings contributed much towards ameliora- 
ting the condition of slaves. 

In 1767, he published "a caution to Great Britain 
and her colonies," in a short representation of the 
calamitous state of the enslaved negroes in the Bri- 
tish dominions. 

In 1772, he published an historical account of 
Guinea, with an inquiry into the rise and progress 
of the slave trade, its nature and lamentable effects. 
He died May 4, 1784. 



Bernard, Francis, governor of Massachusetts. 
The commencement of his administration was fa- 



24 

vourable; but it soon became obnoxiolLs. In 1764, 
restraints were laid upon the trade of the planta- 
tions by certain acts of the parliament of Great 
Britain, which were succeeded by a direct tax upon 
the colonies. This and the stamp act was remon- 
strated against by the people, as measures to which 
they would never submit. As soon as the acts had 
passed, and was known in America, a spirit of re- 
sentment was roused which menaced every man in 
power, and alienated the affections of the colonists 
from a country, to which they had hitherto looked 
with reverence as the land of their fathers. The 
governor who had heretofore showed his disposi- 
tion in several instances to treat the people with 
contempt, and to be unfriendly to the colonies, now 
openly avowed his sentiments, and began to put in 
force the enactments of parliament. He also soli- 
cited the ministry to send troops to America, to put 
in force the measures of parliament. Troops ac- 
cordingly arrived in 1768. From this time his con- 
duct was reprobated ; and in most of the towns in 
the province he was published in the newspapers, 
and wae declared an enemy and a traitor to the 
country. 

In August following, he dissolved the general 
assembly, finding them not subservient to his will. 
His administration had now become so odious, 
burdensome, and 'vexatious, that a petition to the 
king was forwarded, requesting his dismission. But 
there were little hopes, that this wish would be 
granted, as his administration was the subject of 
much praise at the court of Great Britain, and his 
services had now been rewarded by the title of ba- 
ronet : however, shortly after receiving this title, he 
obtained permission to return to England. Accord- 
ingly, in 1769, he sailed from Boston, and never 
again returned to the province. 



Backus, Isaac, a learned divine and historian, 
was born in Norwich, Connecticut, January 20, 
1724 ; was ordained over a congregational church in 
Middleborough, Massachusetts, 1748; and after- 
wards became a convert to the sentiments of the an- 
tepedobaptists, 1756. A baptist church was formed 
January 16, 1756, and he was installed its pastor 
June 23, of the same year, by ministers from Boston 
and Rehoboth : he was continued its pastor until his 
death, in the year 1806. 

The town of Middleborough chose him one of 
their delegates in the convention, which adopted 
the federal constitution ; on which occasion he made 
a speech in its favour. 

The baptist church of America owe not a little of 
their present flourishing condition to his exertions. 

In 1796, he completed his church history of New- 
England, in three volumes, which he afterwards 
abridged, and brought it down to 1804. This work 
contains many facts, and much important informa- 
tion. His other works consist of sermons, essays, 
and controversial pieces. He also wrote a history 
of Middleborough, which is published in a third 
volume of the collections of the Massachusetts His- 
torical Society. 



Bellamy, Joseph, DD. a learned divine, was 
born at New-Cheshire, Connecticut, about the year 
1719, and was graduated at Yale college in 1735. 

He soon after commenced the study of divinity, 
and became a preacher at the age of eighteen. In 
1740, he was ordained pastor of a church at Beth- 
lehem, in the town of Woodbury. 

About the year 1750, he published an excellent 
treatise, entitled. True Religion Delineated; and 
from this time he became very conspicuous in pre- 
paring young men for the gospel ministry. In this 

4 



26 

branch of his work he was eminentiy useful till the 
decline of life, when he relinquished it. 

In 1786, he was seized with a paralytic affection, 
from which he never recovered. He died March 6, 
1790, in the fiftieth year of his ministry, and seventy 
second year of his age. 

As a preacher, he had perhaps no superior ; and 
in a variety of respects he shone with distinguished 
lustre. Extensive science, and ease of communi- 
cating his ideas, rendered him one of the best in- 
structers. His writings procured him the esteem of 
the pious and learned, at home and abroad, with 
many of whom he maintained an epistolary corres- 
pondence. In his preaching, a mind rich in thought, 
a great command of language, and a powerful voice, 
rendered his extemporary discourses peculiarly ac- 
ceptable. He was one of the ablest divines of this 
country. In his sentiments he accorded with presi- 
dent Edwards, with whom he was intimately ac- 
quainted. His writings are published in three 
volumes octavo. 



Belknap, Jeremy, DD. eminent as a divine and 
historian, was born in Boston, June 4, 1744. He 
was graduated at Harvard college in 1762. He early 
exhibited marks of genius and talents, which pre- 
dicted his future celebrity. In 1767, he was or- 
dained pastor of the church in Dover, New-Hamp- 
shire, over which he presided near twenty years of 
his life, with the esteem and affection of his flock, 
and respected by the first characters of the state. 

In 1787, he removed to Boston, and was installed 
pastor of the church in Federal-street. Here he pass- 
ed the remainder of his days, discharging the duties 
of his pastoral office, exploring various fields of lite- 
rature, and giving efl^icient support to every useful 
and benevolent institution. He was one of the 



27 

founders of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 
the design of which was to collect and preserve ma- 
nuscripts, and bring together the materials for illus- 
trating the history of our country. He was also a 
member of several humane and literary societies. 
He ably advocated our republican forms of govern- 
ment, and wrote much in favour of freedom and his 
country. 

As an author, no one has been more justly cele- 
brated on this side tlie Atlantic. He published a 
history of New-Hampshire, in three volumes, writ- 
ten in a very handsome style. The Foresters, a 
work which mingles wit and humour, with a repre- 
sentation of the manners of the American people. 
The American Biography, in two volumes, a monu- 
ment of his talents, industry, and knowledge. It is 
much to be regretted he did not live to complete 
this work, for whicli the public voice pronounced 
him peculiarly qualified. He also published sermons, 
and a number of essays upon the African trade ; civil 
and religious liberty; upon the state and settlement 
of this country; and a discourse delivered at the re- 
quest of the Historical Society of Massachusetts. 
He died suddenlv, June 20, 1798. 



Bartram, John, a celebrated botanist, was born 
near the town of Darby, Pennsylvania, about the 
year 1701. 

This self-taught genius early discovered an ar- 
dent desire for the acquisition of knowledge, espe- 
cially of natural history and botany. In this latter 
science he made so much proficiency, that Linnceus 
pronounced him "the greatest natural botanist in 
the world." 

His attainments in natural history attracted the 
esteem of the most disting^uished men in America 



and Europe, and he corresponded with many of 
them. 

He was the first American who conceived and 
carried into effect the design of a botanic garden, 
for the cultivation of American plants, as well as 
exotics. For this purpose he purchased a fine si- 
tuation on the banks of the Schuylkill, about five 
miles from the city of Philadelphia, where he laid 
out a large garden, and filled it with a variety of the 
most curious and beautiful vegetables, collected in 
his excursions from Canada to Florida. 

His ardour in these pursuits was such, that at the 
age of seventy he made a journey into East Flo- 
rida, to explore its natural productions. By his 
means the gardens of Europe were enriched with 
elegant flowering shrubs, with plants and trees, col- 
lected in different parts of our country, from the 
shore of lake Ontario, to the source of the river St. 
Juan. 

He was elected a member of several of the most 
eminent societies and academies in Europe, and 
was at length appointed American botanist to his 
Britannic majesty, George HI. which appointment 
he held till his death, which happened September 
3d, 1777, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. 

Several of Mr. B3.rtram's communications in 
zoology were published in the Philosophical Trans- 
actions, between the years 1743 and 1749. He 
published observations on the inhabitants, climate, 
soil, (fee, made in his travels from Pennsylvania to 
Onondago — London, 1751: description of East Flo- 
rida, 4to. 1774. 



Bartram, William, F. R. S. an eminent bota- 
nist, and son of the preceding, was born near the 
city of Philadelphia, April 20, 1739. From his 
childhood he had a taste for observing andcollectinof 



29 

plants, and when only eleven years of age, volun- 
teered to accompany his father in one of his tours 
through the uninhabited parts of the southern states, 
in search of non-descript vegetable productions and 
fossils. 

After his return to Pennsylvania, he was sent to 
the college of Philadelphia, where he diligentl)'^ 
pursued his studies until his sixteenth year, at 
which time he was placed with a merchant. He 
soon however abandoned mercantile pursuits for 
others more congenial to his mind. Botany and 
natural history were his favourite studies, and in 
these he soon made great proficiency, insomuch, 
that in a few years his fame had reached the con- 
tinent, and spread throughout Europe. 

The important discoveries he made had no sooner 
reached England, than he was employed by Dr. 
Fothergill, and several other eminent naturalists, 
to make a tour of discovery through the Carolinas, 
Georgia, and the Floridas, and to communicate to 
them whatever was new and interesting in natural 
science. The result of these travels, so creditable 
to his eminent acquirements, he afterwards pub- 
lished in a thick octavo volume. 

Mr. Bartram now retired to the enchanting spot, 
and took charge of the celebrated gardens com- 
menced by his father on the Schuylkill, near Phi- 
ladelphia. To these he devoted the whole of his 
attention, and year after year enriched it with va- 
luable plants from both hemispheres. Here he 
also pursued his researches into nature, and form- 
ed, for future celebrity, the mind of the celebrated 
author of the American Ornithology. » 

In 1792, after the junction of the two rival facul- 
ties of medicine in Philadelphia, Mr. Bartram was 
unanimously elected to the chair of Botany and 
Natural History in the university of Pennsylvania. 
This honour, however, he declined, and it was after- 
wards conferred on the late eminent naturalist Dr. 
B. vS. Barton. 



so 

Mr. Bartram had the honour of being a member 
«f the American Philosophical Society of Phila- 
delphia, as well as of most of the learned and scien- 
tific societies of Europe. 

Mr. Bartram ended a life of usefulness and 
celebrity, and quietly sunk into the arms of death, 
at his favourite retreat on the banks of the Schuyl- 
kill, July 22, 1823, at the advanced age of eighty- 
five years. 

Besides "Travels through the Carolinas, Geor- 
gia, and the Floridas," Mr. Bartram published a 
"Table of American Ornithology," "Tracts and 
Observations on Natural History, and newly dis- 
covered Plants." 

Besides numerous communications to the Ame- 
rican Philosophical Society, which have been pub- 
lished in their " Transactions." 

The manuscripts and correspondence of the fa- 
ther and son, if published, would form a curioUs 
and interesting volume ; and we sincerely hope, for 
the cause of science, their labours will ere long be 
given to the world by some lover of science. 



Barlow^, Joel, LL. D. a distinguished poet, 
was born at Reading, Connecticut, about the year 
1755. At an early age he was placed at Dart- 
mouth college, and after a short residence there, 
he removed to Yale college, and graduated with 
distinguished reputation for scholarship. 

,On this occasion he appeared before the public, 
for the first time, as a poet. On leaving college, 
he received the appointment of a chaplaincy to 
the American army, and continued with it during 
the whole period of the revolutionary war. It was 
in the camp that he planned and composed the 
"Vision of Columbus." 



31 

In 1781, lie took the degree of M. A. and pub- 
lished the "Prospect of Peace," a poem. 

In 1783, on the disbandonment of the army, he 
commenced the study of the law, and settled in 
Hartford. 

In 1787, he published the "Vision of Columbus," 
and in the following year, embarked for Europe in 
the capacity of agent of the Scioto Land Com- 
pany. 

At London he published the "Advice to the Pri- 
vileged Orders :" and this was soon after followed 
by the " Conspiracy of Kings," a poem. 

All of these publications procured him some 
profit and much notoriety. 

Towards the end of the year 1792, the London 
Constitutional Society, of which he was a member, 
voted an address to the French National Conven- 
tion, and Mr. Barlow and another member, w ere de- 
puted to present it. He was received in France with 
great respect, and they conferred on him the 
rights of a French citizen. 

During his stay in Paris, he translated "Vol- 
ney's Ruins." 

In the year 1795, he received the appointment 
of American consul at Algiers, with powers to ne- 
gotiate a treaty, and to redeem all American cap- 
tives. He hastened to Algiers, concluded a treaty, 
as well also with the Tripolitan powers ; sent home 
the American prisoners, and afterwards returned 
to Paris, and resigned his consulship. 

He then engaged in commercial pursuits, by 
which he acquired an independent fortune, and re- 
turned to America in 1805. 

He selected Washington as his place of resi- 
dence, and purchased a handsome seat, w^here he 
lived in an elegant and hospitable manner, associ- 
ating on the most familiar terms with the president 
and other distinguished characters. 

His leisure hours he devoted to literature and 
science, and in preparing for the press the "Co- 



32 

kimbiad," which he afterwards published in a 
magnificent style. 

In 1809, he received several literary honours, and 
among others the degree of Doctor of Laws. 

About this period, he began to collect historical 
documents for a general history of the United 
States, a Avork he had long meditated, and was 
admirably well qualified to execute. 

In the midst of these pursuits, he was appointed 
minister plenipotentiary to France. He arrived at 
Paris in the summer of 1811, and applied himself 
with great diligence in effecting the object of his 
mission, but was foiled in every attempt. 

He was finally invited to a conference with the 
emperor at Wilna. 

He immediately set off for this place, travelling 
night and day. Overcome by too much exertion 
and fatigue, he rapidly sunk into a state of ex- 
treme debility and torpor, and suddenly expired 
at Zarnawica, an obscure village in Poland, on the 
night of the 22d of December, 1812. 

Mr. Barlow was in private life of an amiable 
disposition and domestic habits. 

As an author, his writings will always command 
admiration, and rank high with the literature of 
this country. 

The " Columbiad" was the work of half of his 
life — conceived and planned in the ardour of 
youth, and corrected, polished, and enlarged after 
his mind had been aroused and invigorated with 
various forms of nature, with books, and with 
men. 



Barton, Benjamin Smith, M. D. a learned phy- 
sician, was born at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Fe- 
bruary 10, 1766. 

At a very early period of his life he was very stu- 
dious, and devoted much of his time to the acqui- 



oo 

sitioii of knowledge, particularly the branches of 
civil and natural history and botany. 

After completing his collegiate studies, he com- 
menced the study of medicine with the late Dr. Ship- 
pen, and while yet a pupil, he accompanied his uncle, 
Mr. Rittenhouse, the celebrated astronomer, and 
the other commissioners, in running the boundary 
line of Pennsylvania. It was during this excursion 
that he first turned his attention to the manners, 
history, medicines, pathology, and other interest- 
ing points of inquiry of the savage natives of this 
country. 

His researches on these subjects, are among the 
most ingenious, if hot the most useful of his labours. 

In 1786, he embarked for England, with a view 
of prosecuting his medical studies at the university 
of Edinburgh. 

At Edinburgh he was elected a member of the 
Royal Medical Society, and for his dissertation on 
the Hijosciamus niger, of Linnaeus, he obtained the 
Marveian prize. 

He afterwards studied at the celebrated universi- 
ty at Gottingen, and graduated. 

After an absence of three years, he returned to 
Philadelphia, and commenced the practice of physic. 

In 1790, he was elected a member of the Ameri- 
can Philosophical Society, and in 1802, he was 
chosen one of its vice-presidents, which office he 
held until the day of his death. 

In 1789, he was unanimously elected professor 
of natural history and botany, in the college of 
Philadelphia. 

In 1795, he succeeded Dr. Griffiths in the pro- 
fessorship of materia medica, in the university of 
Pennsylvania. 

On the demise of Dr. Rush, he was elected to the 
chair which had been filled by him, which, together 
with that of natural history and botany, he held un- 
til the day of his death. 

In 1815, he embarked for France, on account 



of his health, and returned the November follow- 
ing, but was spared only long enough to receive the 
visits of his friends, and suddenly expired on the 
morning of the 19tli of December, 1815. 

The genius of Dr. Barton was of a high order — 
rapid, comprehensive, and brilliant. 

As a professor, he was eloquent and instructive ; 
and as a writer, he was ingenious, rich in facts, 
profound in research, and always abounding in use- 
ful information. 

As a physician, he discovered a mind quick in 
discriminating diseases, and skilful in the applica- 
tion of appropriate remedies. 

His publications on the antiquities, natural his- 
tory, and botany of this country, are numerous 
and valuable. 



Brainerd, David, an eminent preacher and 
missionary to the Indians, was born at Haddam, 
Connecticut, April 20, 1718. In 1739, he was ad- 
mitted a member of Yale college. In 1742, after 
having pursued the study of divinity under the care 
of the Rev. Mr. Mills, he was licensed to preach. 
In November following he was appointed by the 
Society at New-York for Propagating Christian 
Knowledge, a missionary to the Indians. 

On the 1st April, 1743, he arrived at Kaunamuk, 
an Indian village in Massachusetts, and commenc- 
ed his labours at the age of twenty-five. After 
preaching to them some time, they removed to 
Stockbridge, under the care and instruction of the 
Rev. Mr. Sergeant. Mr. Brainerd then turned his 
attention towards the Delaware Indians. In 1744, 
he was ordained by a presbytery at Newark, New- 
Jersey. Soon after, he entered on the field of his 
labours near the forks of the Delaware, in Pennsyl- 
vania. After a year of hardships and fruitless ex- 



35 

ertions, he then made a visit to the Indians at Cros- 
weeksung, near Freehold, New-Jersey. At this 
place he was favoured with remarkable success. In 
less than a year he baptized 70 persons. In the 
summer of 1746, he visited the Indians on the 
Susquehannah, and was eminently useful, convinc- 
ing hundreds, and converting thousands by his in- 
strumentality. On his return, he found his health 
so much impaired, that he was able to preach but 
little more. After taking a tour for his health as 
far as Boston, in the spring of 1747, he returned in 
July to Northampton, where, in the family of Rev. 
Jonathan Edwards, he passed the remainder of his 
days. He gradually declined till October 9, 1747, 
when, after suffering inexpressible agony, he en- 
tered upon that rest which remaineth for the faith- 
ful servants of God. Thus was the world deprived 
of a patriot, a christian, and a saint. No human 
exertions could possibly exceed those of Brainerd. 
The afflictions he encountered, the hardships he 
underwent, deterred him not from the prosecution of 
his glorious mission. He was indeed an active la- 
bourer in the vineyard ; he worked while it was 
yet day. Nor could any personal sufferings, any 
domestic ties, or calls of friendship, arrest his at- 
tention from the far stronger or more worthy claims 
of the suffering Indians. President Edwards, whose 
opinion- of Mr. Brainerd was founded upon an inti- 
mate acquaintance with him, says, " that he never 
knew his equal, of his age and standing, for clear, 
accurate views of the nature and essence of true 
religion, and its distinctions from its various false 
appearances." He published " A Narrative of his 
Labours at Kaunamuk." '^ A Journal, or an Ac- 
count of his Labours among the Indians of New- 
Jersey and Pennsylvania." This work is very inter- 
esting, and displays the piety and talents of the 
author. President Edwards has written his life, 
chiefly compiled from his diary. 



Brown, Arthur, LL. D. a distinguished scho- 
lar and eminent barrister, was born at Newport, 
Rhode Island. At the age of sixteen he was sent 
to receive his education at Trinity college, Dublin; 
where he remained during his life. He was made 
King's professor of Greek, as well as civil law. He 
was always a champion of the people. Shortly 
after the union of Ireland with Great Britain, he 
was appointed prime sergeant. He died in 1805. 
He published a compend of civil law. Miscella- 
neous sketches after the manner of Montaigne, in 
2 vols. 



, Bainbridge, William, a commodore in the Unit- 
ed States' navy, was born at Princeton, New-Jersey, 
on the 7th May, 1774. At the age of sixteen he 
was placed in a counting-house in New-York; but 
soon after he removed to Philadelphia, and entered 
into the merchant service. From the year 1793 to 
'98, he commanded merchant ships in the trade 
from Philadelphia to Europe. In July, 1798, he 
was appointed to the command of the Unites States^ 
schooner Retaliation, of 14 guns, with a commis- 
sion as lieutenant and commander in the navy. In 
1799, he received a commission of master-com- 
mandant, and sailed in the brig Norfolk, of 18 
guns, on a second cruise against the French. In 
1800 he received a captain's commission, and was 
appointed to the command of the frigate George 
Washington, in which he afterwards sailed for the 
Mediterranean. On his return, in 1801, he was 
transferred to the frigate Essex, and appointed to 
accompany the squadron which was sent against 
Tripoli. He returned to New-York in 1802, and 
the next year was appointed to the command of 
the Philadelphia frigate. In July following, he 
sailed in her for the Mediterranean, and joined the 
squadron under commodore Preble. In August, he 



captured two Tripolitan cruisers, and then pro- 
ceeded to blockade the harbour of Tripoli. On 
the 31st of October, he gave chase to an armed 
ship, and finding he could not cut her out from the 
harbour, gave up the pursuit and hauled northward ; 
but unfortunately ran upon rocks about four miles 
and a half from the town. The Tripolitan gun- 
boats immediately attacked her, and after sustain- 
ing the enemy's fire between five and six hours, he 
was obliged to surrender the ship. The officers 
and crew were immediately put in confinement, nor 
were they released until the peace of the 3d of June, 
1805. 

Captain Bainbridge reached the United States 
in the autumn following, and the reception which 
he met from his country was such as to satisfy com- 
pletely the feelings of a meritorious but unfortunate 
officer. 

In 1806, he took command of the naval station 
at New-York. In 1808, he was appointed to take 
command of the Portland station. 

In 1809, having superintended the repairing of 
the frigate President at Washington, he took com- 
mand of her, and cruised on our coast till the next 
spring, when he obtained a furlough, and permis- 
sion from the navy department to engage in the 
merchant service. 

Having returned from his mercantile pursuits, in 
February, 1812, he was appointed to the command 
of the navy-yard at Charlestown, Massachusetts. 
On the declaration of war against Great Britain, 
he was appointed to command the frigate Constel- 
lation; but on the arrival at Boston of captain 
Hull, after his victory over the British frigate Guer- 
riere, commodore Bainbrige was permitted to 
take command of the Constitution. In a few weeks 
he sailed on a cruise to the East-Indies. In run- 
ning down the coast of Brazil, on the 29th Decem- 
ber, he discovered a strange ship, and immediately 
made sail to meet her. On approaching her, it 



38 

proved to be the British frigate Java. Commodore 
Bainbridge immediately closed with the enemy, 
and in less than one hour and fifty minutes he com- 
pelled her to surrender. The decayed state of the 
Constitution, and other circiumstances, combining 
to interfere with the original plan of the cruise, he 
afterwards returned to the United States. The 
arrangement, however, of the differences of the 
United States with Great Britain, did not let him 
remain long in the inaction of peace. Having su- 
perintended the building of the Independence, a 
ship of 74 guns, he had the honour of waving his 
flag on board the first line-of-battle ship belonging 
to the United States that ever floated. He was 
now ordered to form a junction with commodore 
Decatur, to cruise against the Barbary powers, who 
had shown a disposition to plunder our commerce. 
In company with his own squadron, he arrived be- 
fore the harbour of Carthagena, where he learned 
that commodore Decatur had concluded a peace 
with the regency of Algiers. He now, according 
to his instructions presented himself before Tripo- 
li, where he also had the mortification to learn that 
commodore Decatur had shorn him of his expected 
laurels, by a previous visit. He now effected a junc- 
tion with commodore Decatur's squadron, and sail- 
ed for the United States, and arrived at Newport, 
Rhode Island, on the 15th November, 181.5. 



Brown, Nicholas, % name endeared to science 
and literature,, was an eminent merchant of Rhode 
Island. He died at Providence, May 29, 1791, in his 
62nd year. fThe public buildings in Providence, 
sacred to religion and science, are monuments of 
his liberalitvTf 



^ % 



fy.'.. /^M - ^ -^ ^^^ 



n^ly-' -V V' ^ 



tA1(^ ^T--<?. 



o9 

BoojSe, Daniel, the first settler of the state of 
Kentucky, was born in Berks county, Pennsylva- 
nia, about the year 1730. At the age of eighteen, 
he left his native place, and settled in the state of 
North Carolina. In company with five other indi- 
viduals, he left that province in 1769, and jour- 
neyed as far as the Kentucky river, with a view of 
settling near it. He settled within 75 miles of the 
present town of Frankfort, where he built a stock- 
ade fort, a precaution absolutely necessary, to de- 
fend himself from the attack of the native Indians. 
This fort was afterwards called fort Boonsborough; 
and thus was formed the first settlement of the 
state of Kentucky. 

In the year 1775, he conducted his wife and 
daughters to his new establishment, and was soon 
after joined by other families. At first he had to 
contend with a savage foe, and after several 
bloody rencontres, in one of which he was taken 
prisoner; and after enduring sufferings and hard- 
ships, which his courage and constancy surmount- 
ed, till he had an opportunity of making peace 
with his enemies. From this time until the year 
1799, he spent his life in agricultural pursuits, and 
served occasionally his countrymen in the legisla- 
ture of Virginia. 

Mr. Boone was not, however, to end his days 
amid the advantages of social life. After his courage 
and constancy, under the severest trials ; after his 
long and unremitting labours, in perfecting his infant 
settlement; after rearing and providing for a nu- 
merous family, the prop of his old age, and the 
pride of his hoary years, which now entitled him 
to a civic crown, and to the gratitude of a gener- 
ous people — he suddenly finds that he is possessed 
of nothing ; that his eyes must be closed without a 
home, and that he must be an outcast in his gray 
hairs. His heart is torn, his feelings are lacerated 
by the chicanery of the law, which deprives him 
©f the land of which he was the first to put a 



40 

spade in, his goods sold : Cut to the soul, with a 
wounded spirit, he still showed himself an extraor- 
dinary and eccentric man. He left for ever the 
state, in which he had been the first to introduce 
a civilized population — where he had so boldly 
maintained himself against external attacks, and 
shown himself an industrious and exemplary citi- 
zen; where he found no white man when he sat 
himself down amid the ancient woods, and left 
behind him half a million. He forsook it for 
ever; no entreaty could keep him within its bounds. 
Man, from whom he had deserved every thing, had 
persecuted and robbed him of all. He bade his 
friends and his family adieu for ever. He took with 
him his rifle and a few necessaries, and crossing 
the Ohio, pursued his way into the unknown and 
immense country of the Missouri, where the mon- 
strous mammoth is even now supposed to be in 
existence. In 1800 he discovered the Boone's 
lick country, which now forms one of the best set- 
tlements of that state. 

On the banks of the Grand Osage, in company 
with his son, he reared his rude log hut — around 
which he planted a few esculent vegetables — and 
his principal food, he obtained by hunting. — An 
exploring traveller, sometimes crossing the way 
of this singular man, would find him seated at the 
door of his hut, with his rifle across his knees, and 
his faithful dog at his side ; surveying his shrivel- 
led limbs, and lamenting that his youth and man- 
hood were gone, but hoping his legs would serve 
him to the last of life, to carry him to spots fre- 
quented by the game, that lie might not starve. In 
his solitude he would sometimes speak of his past 
actions, and of his indefatigable labours, with a 
glow of delight on his countenance, that indicated 
how dear they were to his heart, and would then 
become at once silent and dejected. Thus he 
passed through life till he had reached the age of 
ninety, when death suddenly terminated his earthly 



41 

recoilectioiis of the ingratitude of his fellow crea- 
tures, at a period when his faculties, though he 
had attained such an age, were not greatly im- 
paired, September 26, 1820. 

Col. Boone was a man of common stature, of 
great enterprise, strong intellect, amiable disposi- 
tion, and inviolable integrity. 

As a token . of respect and regard for him, both 
houses of the General Assembly of the state of 
Missouri, upon information of his death being 
communicated, resolved to wear crape on the left 
arm, for the space of twenty days. 

His body was interred in the same grave with 
his wife, at Charettee village, county of Montgo- 
mery, Missouri. 



Bartlett, Josiah, M. D., one of the signers of 
the Declaration of Independence, was born at 
Amesbury, Massachusetts, in November, 1729. He 
received the rudiments of a classical education in 
his native town, and at the age of sixteen, com- 
menced the study of physic, under the superin- 
tendence of Dr. Ordway. 

At the age of twenty-one, he commenced the 
practice of his profession at Kingston, New-Hamp- 
shire. He continued to practise with great suc- 
cess, and his integrity and decision of character 
soon attracted the attention and confidence of his 
fellow citizens. 

In the year 1765, Dr. Bartlett began his political 
career, as a representative to the legislature from 
the town of Kingston, and was annually elected 
till the revolution. 

Not long before this period, however, jealousies 
had arisen between the British ministry and the 
people of the colonies, which was finally the osten- 
sible cause of the bickering between Great Britain 

6 



42 

and her colonies. It was contended by parlia- 
ment, that the expenses arising out of the prosecu- 
tion of the French war, should be defrayed by the 
colonies, and that they had full power to determine 
the way. On the other hand, the colonies denied 
the right of this assumption of power, but were 
willing to pay a proper proportion. Dr. Bartlett, 
on this occasion, took the side of the people, in op- 
position to all the arbitrary acts of parliament 
which afterwards followed. He was appointed a 
delegate to the general congress of 1774, to aid 
in the adoption of such measures as would secure 
the rights, liberties, and privileges of the colonies, 
and restore harmony between the two countries. 
The opening of the year 1 775, instead of a recon- 
ciliation, brought about those portentous events 
which resulted in a revolution. In the mean time 
he was a member of the committee of safety, and 
of the provincial convention, and was actively en- 
gaged in matters relating to the welfare of the 
people. 

On the 23d of August, 1775, he was chosen a 
delegate to congress, in the place of I. Sullivan, 
■Esq. and took his seat accordingly. On the 23d 
of January, 1776, he was again re-elected to con- 
gress, and on the 12th of June was appointed one 
of the committee to prepare and digest the form 
of confederation to be entered into between the 
colonies. 

In the debates which preceded the signing of 
the Declaration of Independence, he firmly ad- 
vocated its adoption ; and on the memorable 4th of 
July, on taking the sentiments of the house, was 
the first called upon : he answered in the affirma- 
tion, and was followed in rotation by the members 
from the other states. 

He was re-elected to congress, which' met at 
York, Penn. in 1778. 

In 1782, he w^as appointed a justice of the supe- 
rior court, which office he held until he was made 
chief justice, in 1788. 



45 

In 1788, he was a member of the convention of 
New-Hampshire, which adopted the present con- 
stitution. In 1789, he was chosen a senator to 
congress. In 1793, he was elected the first gover- 
nor of the state, which office he filled with his ac- 
customed promptitude and fidelity, until his in- 
firm state of health obliged him to retire wholly 
from public business. This eminent man and 
distinguished patriot, closed his earthly career on 
the 19th of May, 1795. 

Dr. Bartlett possessed a mind quick and pene- 
trating. His memory was tenacious, and his judg- 
ment sound and perspective. In all his dealings he 
was scrupulously just, and faithful in the perform- 
ance of all of his engaoements. 

He received an honorary degree of doctor of 
medicine from Dartmouth University, and was an 
honorary member of the Agricultural Society. 



Brown, Charles Brockden, a distinguished 
writer, was born in Philadelphia, on the 17th of 
January, 1771. Possessing from infancy a deli- 
cate constitution, he early acquired that love of 
books, which made them at once his passion and his 
pursuit throughout life. He received a classical 
education under Robert Proud, the well known 
author of the History of Pennsylvania. Before he 
had attained his sixteenth year, he had written a 
number of essays in prose and verse, and had 
sketched plans of three distinct epic poems. But 
his poetic fervour was damped by that universal 
sedative of the imagination, the study of the law, 
which, however, he made subservient to the ac- 
quirement of a clear and vigorous style of express- 
ing himself, which he had always made an object 
of his ambition. 

At the age of eighteen, he commenced the study 



u 

of the law, in the office of Alexander Wilcox, Esq. 
an eminent lawyer of Philadelphia. 

The practice of his profession he found so irk- 
some that he did not attempt to follow it; though 
the thought of making his family uneasy by relin- 
quishing it, rendered him for a time extremely un- 
happy. They were, however, partial and forgiving, 
and their indulgence was soon rew^arded by the 
fame which he began to acquire as an author. 

One of the first novels which he wrote was en- 
titled the " Sky Walk ;" but owing to the death of 
the printer, it was never published. 

He afterwards incorporated parts of it into "Ar- 
thur Mervyn," "Edgar Huntley," "Ormond" and 
" Wieland ;" of which the last three are entitled to 
as high a rank among the literary productions of 
the present age, in point of powerful description, 
truth of sentiment, and striking situations, as that 
which has been so willingly assigned in our own 
country to the numerous volumes which, under the 
name of the "Waverly Novels," have imposed a 
kind of obligation on the public to read them; 
whether they come forth in sterling w^orth of ori- 
ginal genius, or the more questionable shape of 
old chronicles, modernised, and forgotten stories 
revived. 

To Mr. Brown the praise of full originality is 
amply due ; he is universally grand, yet simple : 
moral and affecting. 

In 1797, he gave to the world "Alcuin." In 
1798, he published ^'Wieland." This powerful 
and original romance excited great attention, and 
brought the author into notice. 

In 1799, he published "Ormond, or the Secret 
Witness." From this time he prosecuted his la- 
bour with success in the region of fiction, with an 
ardour and rapidity of execution seldom parallel- 
ed. " Arthur Mervyn" and " Edgar Huntley" next 
appeared in quick succession. 

In 1801. Mr. Brown published his novel of 



45 

*' Clara Howard." In October, 1803, Mr. Brown 
commenced a periodical publication, entitled the 
"Literary Magazine and American Register." 
This work continued for five years, and is replete 
with the effusions of erudition, taste, and genius. 

In 1804, he published in London his last novel, 
^' Jane Talbot." 

In 1806, Mr. Brown commenced a new periodi- 
cal work, entitled the "American Register," of 
which he lived to see five volumes published. 

His health being very much impaired, he made 
several excursions into the Eastern states, to re- 
store it, but alas ! a period was put to his suffer- 
ings on the morning of the 22d of February, 1810, 
at the age of thirty-nine years. 

His life, together with his original letters and 
the fragments of "Carwin," "Calvert," and "Jes- 
sica," have been published in two volumes octavo. 

Most of his novels have been re-published in 
London, and are there esteemed as productions of 
extraordinary genius. 



BiDDLE, Nicholas, captain in the navy of the 
United States, was born in the city of Philadelphia, 
September 10, 1750. 

Among the brave men who perished in the glo- 
rious struggle for the independence of America, 
there are none more entitled to a place in the bio- 
graphic annals of this country. 

His services, and the high expectations raised by 
his military genius and gallantry, have left a strong 
impression of his merit, and a profound regret that 
his early fate should have disappointed so soon the 
hopes of his country. 

Very early in life he manifested his partiality for 
the sea, and previous to the year 1770, had made 
several voyages. 



4Q 

He afterwards went to England, with an intention 
of entering the British navy, and did for some 
time act in the capacity of a midshipman ; but his 
ardent mind, however, could not rest satisfied with 
his situation, and he afterwards embarked in the 
expedition fitted out at the request of the Royal 
Society, to ascertain how far navigation was prac- 
ticable towards the north pole; to advance the dis- 
covery of the north-west passage into the south 
seas; and to make such astronomical observations 
as might prove serviceable to navigation. Impell- 
ed by the same bold and enterprising spirit, young 
Horatio, afterwards Lord Nelson, had solicited 
and obtained permission to enter on board the same 
vessel, and both acted in the capacity of cocks- 
wains, a station always assigned to the most active 
and trusty seamen. These intrepid navigators 
penetrated as far as the latitude of 81° 39'. On 
his return, the commencement of the revolution 
gave a new turn to his pursuits, and he repaired 
without delay, to the standard of his country. Soon 
' after his arrival at Philadelphia, he was appointed 
to the command of the Andrew Doria, a brig of 
fourteen guns, and sailed in the expedition under 
commodore Hopkins, against New-Providence. 
Immediately after taking this post, he was ordered 
to cruise off the banks of New-Foundland, and was 
very active in capturing the enemy's vessels. 
While he was thus indefatigably engaged in weak- 
ening the enemy's power and advancing his coun- 
try's interest, he was disinterested and generous 
in all that related to his private advantage. The 
brave and worthy opponent, whom the chance 
of war had thrown in his power, found in him a 
patron and friend, who on more than one occasion 
was known to restore to the vanquished the fruits 
of victory. In the latter end of the year 1776, he was 
appointed to the command of the Randolph, a fri- 
gate of thirty-two guns. He sailed from Philadel- 



47 

phia in February, 1777, and soon after lie captured 
an English ship of twenty guns, and three sail of 
merchantmen, and proceeded to Charleston with his 
prizes. 

He immediately refitted, and was joined by other 
vessels, and sailed for the- West-India seas. On 
the night of the 7th of March, 1778, he fell in with 
the British ship Yarmouth, of sixty-four guns, and 
engaged her. Shortly after the action commenced, 
he received a severe wound and fell. He soon, 
however, ordered a chair to be brought, and being 
carried forward, encouraged the crew. The fire 
of the Randolph was constant and well directed, 
and appeared, while the battle lasted, to be in a 
continual blaze. In about twenty minutes after the 
action began, and while the surgeon was examin- 
ing his wounds on the quarter deck, the Randolph 
blew up. The number of persons on board the Ran- 
dolph was three hundred and fifteen, all of whom 
perished, except four men, who were tossed about 
for four day» on a piece of the wreck, before they 
were discovered and taken up. 

Thus prematurely fell, at the age of twenty-sev- 
en, as gallant an officer as any country ever boasted 
of. In the short career which Providence allowed 
to him, he displayed all those qualities which con- 
stitute a brave commander. Consummately skill- 
ed in his profession, no danger nor unexpected 
event could shake his firmness or disturb his pre- 
sence of mind. He was a sincere christian, and 
his religious impressions had a decided and power- 
ful influence upon his conduct. His temper was 
uniformly cheerful, and his conversation sprightly 
and entertaining. 



48 

Blair, John, one of the signers of the federal 
constitution, was born in Virginia, about the year 
1731. 

On receiving a collegiate education, he entered 
upon the study of the law, and in a very few years 
rose to the head of his profession. 

From eminence at the bar, his course to political 
distinction was rapid and successful. He was call- 
ed by the voice of his fellow citizens to some of 
the highest and most important trusts, which he 
faithfully discharged, at a time when the state of 
our country wore the most gloomy aspect, and by 
his exertions contributed essentially to our liberty 
and independence. 

In 1787, at which time he was judge of the court 
of appeals, the legislature of Virginia, finding the 
judiciary system inconvenient, established circuit 
courts, the duties of which they directed the judges 
of the courts of appeals to perform. These judges, 
among whose names are those of Blair, Pendleton, 
and Wythe, remonstrated, and declared the act 
unconstitutional. In the same year, he took his 
seat in the grand convention, which met at Phi- 
ladelphia, to revise the federal constitution, and 
was one of its most active members. To that in- 
strument the names of Blair and Madison are af- 
fixed as the deputies from Virginia. In Septem- 
ber, 1789, when the government which he had 
assisted in establishing, had commenced its opera- 
tions, he was appointed, by president Washington, 
an associate" judge of the supreme court of the 
United States. 

He died September 12, 1800, in the sixty-ninth 
year of his age. 

Judge Blair was an amiable, accomplished, and 
truly virtuous man. 



49 

Baldwin, Abraham, one of the signers of tlie 
federal constitution, and a distinguished statesman, 
was graduated at Yale college in 1772, and dis- 
tinguished for great scholarship. 

In 1785, he was appointed president of the uni- 
versity of Georgia. 

He was a member of the grand convention, which 
held its session from May 25, to September 17, 
1787, and framed the constitution of the United 
States. To that instrument he affixed his name as 
one of the deputies from Georgia. 

After the organization of government, he was 
elected a senator of the United States, and while 
in the discharge of his official duties, he died at 
Washington, March 2, 1807. 



Brearly, David, one of the signers of the 
federal constitution, was born in New-Jersey, about 
the year 1763, and received the honours of Prince- 
ton college at the age of eighteen. 

On leaving that celebrated seminary, he com- 
menced the study of the law, and in a few years 
stood foremost at the bar of his native state. 

In consideration of his distinguished talents as 
a lawyer and statesman, he was unanimously elect- 
ed a member of the grand convention which met at 
Philadelphia, in 1787, for framing the constitution 
of the United States, and his name is affixed to 
that charter of our liberties. 

In 1789, he was appointed by president Wash- 
ington, chief justice of the state of New-Jersey, 
which office he held with distinguished honour to 
himself and his country until his death, which took 
place at his seat, near Trenton, August 23, 1790, 
in the twentv-seventh year of his age. 



JiwAiii), James A. a distingiiisliecl statesman^ 
was born in Philadelphia, in tho year 1767. Los- 
ing his parents while yet a cliild, he was taken into 
the family of his uncle, John Bayard, under whose 
superintendence he was fitted for college. — After 
passing the regular term at Princeton, he graduat- 
ed with distinguished honour. 

In 1784, he entered upon the study of the law 
with general Read, and upon his death, he renew- 
ed and successfully prosecuted them under the 
direction of Mr. Ingersoll. On his admission to 
tlie bar, he chose the state of Delaware for the 
pursuit of his professional labours. 

Not long after he arrived at the constitutional 
age, he was elected a representative to congress, 
and remained in public life from that moment, 
through all the vicissitudes of party triumph and 
defeat, until the time of his death. 

Though he was one of the most conspicuous 
supporters of the federal administration, it was 
his peculiar felicity to command the esteem and 
confidence of both of the great political parties, 
into which the United States since its indepen- 
dence has been divided. Always consistent, he 
was never known to sacrifice or render subser- 
vient the cause of his country to purposes of party 
ambition or animosity. 

In the year , he was elected by the legisla- 
ture of Delaware a member of the senate of the 
United States. In this dignified and honourable 
station he was ever found to be the pure politician 
and unbending patriot. 

As soon as intelligence had reached Europe of 
the Avar with Great Britain, the emperor of Rus- 
sia communicated to both governments an offer of 
mediation. — It was accepted on the part of the 
United States, and commissions were issued by 
the President to J. A. Bayard and Albert Gallatin, 
to proce€d immediately to St. Petersburg. They 
sailed from Philadelphia, May 9, 1813. After some 



51 

delay, the proposal was acceded to on the part of 
Great Britain, and Gottenburg was selected as 
neutral ground. Further arrangements were after- 
wards made to transfer the negotiations from Got- 
tenburg to Ghent. — In August, the British com- 
missioners arrived at Ghent, and the negotiation 
was opened in due form. Here the character and 
qualities of Mr. Bayard slione with distinguished 
lustre — and gave him a weight and influence in 
the proceedings which could scarcely be surpassed. 
A profound thinker, an ingenious reasoner, and an 
accomplished speaker, he seemed formed for a 
negotiator. The last act of his public life con- 
firmed the expectation of his countrymen, and 
completed the catalogue of honourable services 
which he had long before begun. 

After the arrangements at Ghent were conclud- 
ed, Mr. Bayard made a journey to Paris, where he 
remained until he heard of the ratification of the 
treaty, and his appointment as envoy to the court 
of St. Petersburg. This he promptly declined, 
stating his reasons, "that he had no wish to serve 
the administration, except when his services were 
necessary for the good of his country." 

Nothing could induce him to accept an appoint- 
ment, that in the least would have a tendenc)'^ to 
identify him with the administration party, unless 
it contributed essentially to his country's good. 

From Paris, Mr. Bayard intended to have pro- 
ceeded to England, to co-operate in tjie formation 
of a commercial treaty, as he was included in (he 
commission despatched for that purpose. An 
alarming disease, however, prevented him, which 
continued to prey upon him until his arrival in the 
United States. Here he reposed himself, only to 
breathe for a short time his native air in the bo- 
som of conjugal and filial love. He died August 
6, 181.5. 



Clay, Henry, a distinguished statesman and 
orator, was born in Virginia, March 16, 1776. 
After completing the study of the law, under the 
direction of chancellor Wythe, of Richmond, Vir- 
ginia, he settled in Kentucky, and commenced the 
practice of the law in Lexington, about the year 
1797. 

In 1798, he entered the political arena, and exerted 
his powerful eloquence in opposition to the alien 
and sedition laws; subjects of much disputation 
at that period. 

At the age of twenty-four he was elected to a 
seat in the legislature of Kentucky, where he re- 
mained until the year 1806, when he was chosen 
to succeed governor Adair, in the seat vacated by 
him in the senate of the United States. 

During that session he made his debut in a 
speech in favour of erecting a bridge over the 
river Potomac. Mr. Clay showed, on this occa- 
sion, the preference which he has uniformly evinc- 
ed for broad national considerations, over those of 
a private or limited nature. 

On completing the term of general Adair in the 
senate, he re-entered the Kentucky legislature, 
and on all occasions in that body, lent his aid to 
encourage the people in supporting the general 
government in the restrictive system then intro- 
duced, to counteract the proceedings of the belli- 
gerent powers of Europe. 

He remained in the legislature till the session of 
1809-10. When he was again elected to the 
senate of the United States, to complete the term 
of service of judge Thurston. He again distin- 
guished himself in the speech delivered on the 
discussion of president Madison's occupation of 
that part of Louisiana, commonly called West- 



^o 



Florida, which lies between the Missisippi and 
the Perdido: showing from treaties, geographical 
and other authorities, that the Perdido was the 
eastern boundary of Louisiana. 

In 1811, Mr. Clay was elected a member of the 
house of representatives ; and on the 4th Novem- 
ber of the same year, he was elected its speaker. 
In the debates which led to the declaration of war 
in 1812, he bore a conspicuous part. 

In January, 1814, he was, without any solicita- 
tion on his part, appointed one of the commis- 
sioners to treat for peace. He signed the treaty 
of Ghent, and then proceeded to London, where 
he assisted in concluding the convention, which 
has been the base of all our subsequent commer- 
cial policy. 

In 1815, he was again elected a member to con- 
gress, and was again placed in the speaker's chair. 
During the session of 1815, the war and peace 
were promptly attacked and censured by some of 
the members in the house of representatives. As 
he had voted for the war, and signed the treaty of 
peace, he came forward as the champion, and vin- 
dicated in a most eloquent manner the policy of 
both. 

His able and eloquent speech, made during the 
same session, advocating the constitutional power 
of the federal government, to apply its resources 
to a general system of roads and canals, and other 
improvements, is the best commentary that we 
have upon the constitution of the United States, in 
respect to such powers. 

He has always been the firm advocate for the * 
encouragement of American manufactures. 

In the session of 1817-18, he first brought for- 
.ward his proposal for the recognition of South 
American independence. Although he was vio- 
lently opposed, he nevertheless persevered with 
all his zeal and eloquence, until he triumphantly 
carried with him the vote of the house. His 



54 

speeches, on this important topic, are sufficient ol* 
themselves to transmit his name with honour to 
posterity, both for the generous sentiments and 
the enlightened views which they exhibit. 

Perhaps no period of Mr. Clay'v [olitical career 
has been so brilliant, as the part he acted in the 
last session of the sixteenth congress. It was then 
all his efforts were crowned with complete suc- 
cess, in the cause of Spanish America. There 
also he contributed so powerfully, and so mainly, 
to allay the ferment which seemed to threaten a 
dissolution of the union, or a civil war, which had 
risen out of the Missouri question. The language 
held at the time, was, " Clay has saved what Wash- 
ington achieved." 

Mr. Clay possesses a mind of great intellectual 
superiority, which is so organized, that he over- 
comes the difficulties of the most abstruse and 
complicated subjects, apparently without the toil 
of investigation, or the laboiu* of profound re- 
search. It is rich, and active, and rapid, grasping 
at one glance, connexions the most distant, and 
consequences the most remote, and breaking down 
the trammels of error, and the cobwebs of sophis- 
try. The prominent traits of his mind are quick- 
ness, penetration, and acuteness ; a fertile inven- 
tion, discriminating judgment, and good memory. 

His eloquence is impetuous and vehement, with 
a great deal of fire and vigour of expression. 

His views of mankind are enlarged and liberal, 
and his conduct as a politician and a statesman, 
has been marked with the same enlarged and li- 
beral policy. 



Clayton, John, an eminent botanist and physi- 
cian of Virginia, was born at Fulham, in Great 
Britain. He came to Virginia with his father, who 
was an eminent lawyer, in 1705. Mr. Clayton was 



a member of some of the most learned literary so- 
cieties of Europe, and corresponded with Grono- 
vius, Linnaeus, and other able botanists of Europe. 
As a practical botanist, he was inferior to none of 
his time. 

His character stands very high as a man of in- 
tegrity and piety. He was heard to say, whilst ex- 
amining a flower, that he could not look into one, 
without seeing the display of infinite power and 
contrivance, and that he thought it impossible for 
a botanist to be an atheist. 

He died December 15, 1773, in the 85th year of 
his age. 

He left behind him two volumes of manuscripts 
for the press, and a hortus siccus of folio size. 
These works were accidentally burnt. 

He is chiefly known to the learned, especially in 
Europe, by his Flora Virginica, a work published 
by Gronovius in 1739. 

This work is frequently referred to by Linnaeus, 
and by all the succeeding botanists who have had 
occasion to treat of the plants of North America, 



Clarke, John, one of the first founders of Rhode 
Island, was a physician in London, before he came 
to this country. Soon after the first settlement of 
Massachusetts, he was driven from that colony 
with a number of others ; and on the 7th day of 
March, 1638, they formed themselves into a body 
politic, and purchased Aquetneck or Rhode Island, 
of the Indian sachems. He was soon after employ- 
ed as a preacher; and in 1644, he formed a church 
at Newport, and became its pastor. This was the 
2nd baptist church formed in America. In 1651, 
he was sent to England with Mr. Williams, to pro- 
mote the interests of Rhode Island, and particularly 
to procure a revocation of Mr. Coddington's com- 



Ob 

mission as governor, which was annulled in Octo- 
ber, 1652. After the return of Mr, Williams, Mr. 
Clarke was left behind, and remained in England 
as agent for the colony, till he obtained the second 
charter, July 8, 1663. He returned in 1664, and 
continued pastor of his church till his death, April 
20, 1676, aged about 56 years. 

His exertions to promote the civil prosperity of 
Rhode Island, must endear his name to those who 
are now enjoying the fruits of his labours. 

He possessed the singular honour of contribut- 
ing much towards establishing the first government 
upon the earth, since the rise of antichrist, which 
gave equal liberty, civil and religious, to all men 
living under it. 

He published, in 1652, a narrative of New- 
England's persecutions. 



Clap, Thomas, president of Yale college, was 
born at Scituate, Massachusetts, June 26, 1703, 
and was graduated at Harvard college in 1722. He 
afterwards studied divinity, and was ordained pas- 
tor of the church at Windham, Connecticut, 1726. 
In 1739, he was appointed successor to Rev. E. 
Williams, as president of Yale college. Mr. Clap 
was one of the most profound and accurate scholars, 
of which Connecticut can boast. As a theologian, 
he was well versed in ecclesiastical history and the 
writings of the fathers. As a preacher, he was 
solid, grave, and powerful. His religious senti- 
ments accorded with the Calvinistic system. As he 
was exemplary for piety in life, so he was resigned 
and peaceful at the hour of death. He died Janua- 
ry 7, 1767. 

He constructed the first orrery, or planetarium, 
made in America. 

President Clap, in 1755, published a defence of 



i)4 



the New-England churches, against the Armenians, 
who were spreading their doctrines over Connecti- 
cut. In 1766, he published a history of Yale col- 
lege, which contains many precious documents 
and biographical sketches. He made large collec- 
tions of materials for a history of Connecticut, 
which, together with other valuable manuscripts, 
were plundered in the expedition against New-Ha- 
ven, under general Tryon. 



Cutler, Timothy, DD. president of Yale col- 
lege, and minister of Christ's Church, Boston, was 
graduated at Harvard college, 1701. In 1709, he 
was ordained minister of Stratford, Connecticut. 
In 1719, he was appointed president of Yale, which 
was considered an auspicious event to the institu- 
tion, for he was a man of profound and general 
learning, and particularly distinguished for his ac- 
quaintance with oriental literature. He presided 
over the college with great dignity and reputation. 
In 1772, he conformed to the church of England, 
which produced a great shock to the congregational 
establishments of New-England. 

A church was built for him in Boston, of which 
he was rector from 1723 to 1765, the year of his 
death. 

He was a man of strong powers of mind. Dr. 
Stiles represents him the greatest oriental scholar, 
except president Chauncey and his disciple Mr. 
Thacher, in all New-England. 

His diploma of doctor in divinity was presented 
by Oxford university, England. 



Oijauack\vChaules,DD. a divine eniiiient for iii^ 
learning and piety, was born in Boston, January 1, 
1705, and was the great grandson oi' president 
Chauncey. He was graduated at Harvard college 
in 1722. In 1727, he was ordained pastor of the 
first church in Boston, as colleague with the Rev. 
Mr. Foxcroft. He soon became distinguished as 
a theologian, and no one, except president Edwards 
and the late Dr. Mayhew^ has been so much known 
among the literati of Europe, or printed more books 
upon theological subjects. 

In 1742, he received his diploma from the ^uni- 
versity of Edinburgh, the first from that seminary 
to an Ameri-can divine. 

He was an honest patriot, and at the commence- 
ment of the revolution he entered warmly into those 
measures which were considered as necessary to 
vindicate our rights, and founded in justice and 
dictated by wisdom. So firmly was he convinced 
of the justness of our cause, that he used to say, 
he had no doubt, if human exertions were ineffec- 
tual, that a host of angels would be sent to assist 
us. 

His health, cheerfulness, activity, and the pow- 
ers of his mind, continued to old age. He died 
February 10, 1787. 

He was respected for the excellence of his cha- 
racter, being honest and sincere in his intercourse 
with his fellow men, kind, charitable, and pious. 

The publications of Dr. Chauncey are numerous. 
Those best known, are, 12 sermons chiefly upon 
justification, in opposition to the opinion of Robert 
Sandiman, 8vo. 1765: answer to Dr. Chandler's 
appeal, 1768: reply to Dr. Chandler's appeal de- 
fended, 1770: in 1771, he published a complete 
view of episcopacy from the fathers ; a work which 
does him great honour, and v/hich, in the opinion 
of many, has settled the controversy. Five ser- 
mons on the Lord's supper, 1772: a just repre- 
sentation of the &ufierings and hardships of the 



59 

town of Boston, 1774: the salvation of all men, 
8vo. 1784 : the benevolence of the Deity considered, 
8vo. 1785 : five dissertations on the fall and its con- 
sequences, 8vo. 1785. 



Clymer, George, one of the signers of the de- 
claration of independence, was born in the city of 
Philadelphia, in the year 1739. He had the mis- 
fortune to lose his parents at an early age, but 
the want of parental protection was faithfully sup- 
plied by William Coleman, Esq., under the super- 
intendence of whom he received an excellent edu- 
cation. 

On arriving at a proper age, his mind was turned 
towards mercantile pursuits, and he accordingly 
connected himself in business with a Mr. Ritchie. 
Mr. Clymer's habits of study led him gradually to 
abandon mercantile pursuits for those of politics 
and agriculture, as branches which would most 
materially conduce to the happiness and prosperity 
of his country. The principles of Mr. Clymer were 
stern republicanism, and the period had now arriv- 
ed when they were put to the test. He was among 
the first who embarked in opposition to the arbitra- 
ry acts, and unjust pretensions of Great Britain. 
When conciliatory measures were found unavailing, 
he did not hesitate to take up arms in defence of 
the colonies. Mr. Clymer was chosen a member 
of the council of safety. On the 29th of July, 1775, 
he was appointed one of tlie first continental trea- 
surers, which oflfice he held until after his appoint- 
ment to the congress of '76. In this memorable 
year, he put his seal to that charter of indepen- 
dence, which has given us a rank among the na- 
tions of the earth. In 1777, he was re-elected to 
congress, and continued to be an active and effi- 
cient member of that body, until the 19th May 



tit) 

following, when the infirm state of his health oblig- 
ed him to retire. 

After his recovery, he was employed by con- 
gress in the execution of several important trusts, 
which he performed with great ability and address. 

In November, 1780, he was for the third time 
elected to congress; from this until the 12th No- 
vember, 1782, he was actively engaged in the pub- 
lic service, and promoting its welfare by every pos- 
sible means in his power. 

He was one of the most able advocates for that 
institution, which became afterwards one of the 
most powerful supports of the American cause, the 
national bank. 

In November, 1782, Mr. Clymer having retired 
from his seat in congress, removed to Princeton, 
New-Jersey, for the purpose of educating his sons 
at Nassau-Hall. 

This was a happy moment in the life of Mr. 
Clymer, when conscious of having acted well his 
part, amidst the turmoils and troubles of an eight 
years' war, he could sit down in the bosom of his 
family, and reflect upon the deeds which he had 
done, and the happiness which it had secured to 
his country. 

Nor must it be forgotten, that the services which 
he afterwards rendered to Pejinsylvania, in alter- 
ing her penal code of laws, evidence his wisdom 
and the benevolence of his mind. 

As soon as the old articles of confederation were 
found inadequate to bind the states together, a con- 
vention was called to form a more efficient consti- 
tution for the general government. To this illus- 
trious assembly Mr. Clymer was called, and in 
which he afterwards evinced and advocated the 
most enlightened and liberal views. On the adop- 
tion of the constitution, he was once more called to 
unite his talents with those of the assembled sages 
of the general legislature. Here he gave his un- 
qualified support to all those measures, wiiich con- 



6J 

tributed so largely to the honour and welfare of the 
nation, and conferred so much distinction upon the 
administration of Washington. At the expiration 
of the first congressional term of two years, he de- 
clined a re-election, which closed his long, labo- 
rious, and able legislative career. But he was not 
permitted to remain in the shade of private life. 
He was afterwards employed at the head of the 
excise office, and lastly in negotiating a treaty with 
the Creek and Cherokee Indians, in Georgia. 

This distinguished patriot died at Morrisville, 
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, on the 23rd January, 
1813, at the advanced age of 74. 

Mr. Clymer possessed strong intellects from na- 
ture, which he improved by culture and study. 
Retired, studious, contemplative, he was ever add- 
ing something to his knowledge, and endeavouring 
to make that knowledge useful. 

His predominant passion was to promote every 
scheme for the improvement of his country, wheth- 
er in sciences, agriculture, polite education, the 
useful or the fine arts. 

His conversation was of the most instructive 
kind, and manifested an extensive knowledge of 
books and men. 

He was a man of irreproachable morals, and of 
a pure heart. In the domestic circle, and in 
friendly intercourse, he appeared to peculiar ad- 
vantage. 



Carver, John, first governor of Plymouth co- 
lony, was one of the most active, useful, and pious 
men of Mr. Robinson's church, while they were at 
Leyden, and as praiseworthy while he lived with 
the pilgrims, who first planted this part of North 
America. Carver and Cushman were appointed 
the agents to agree with the Virginia company in 
England, and make provision for their voyage. 



They obtained a patent in 1619, and in 1620 
they arrived in New-England. In November Mr. 
Carver was elected governor. On the 6th Decem- 
ber governor Carver, with a few associates, went 
in pursuit Of an eligible spot, to commence a set- 
tlement. On the 11th December, after having sur- 
veyed the bay, they went ashore upon the main 
land at the place, which they afterwards called 
Plymouth, and the rock on which they first set 
their feet, is now in the public square of uiq town 
to this day, and goes by the name of the Forefa- 
thers' Rock. They immediately laid out a town 
and built houses. On the 31st December the pub- 
lic services of religion were attended on the shore 
for the first time. 

On the 16th of March, 1621, they were for the 
first time visited by an Indian, who boldly entered 
the town alone, and to the astonishment of the 
emigrants, addressed them in these words : " Wel- 
come, Englishmen ! Welcome, Englishmen ! his 
name was Samoset, and he was sagamore of Mora- 
tiggon, distant five days journey to the eastward. 
He had learned broken English of the fishermen 
in his country. By him the governor was in- 
formed, that the place where they now were, was 
called Patuxet, and though it was formerly popu- 
lous, that every human being had died of the late 
pestilence." This account was confirmed by the 
extent of the deserted fields, the number of graves, 
and the remnants of skeletons, lying on the ground. 
On the 22d day of March, Massassoit, the sachem 
of the neighbouring Indians, appeared over against 
the English town, with a train of 60 men: after 
some hesitation, mutual distrust prevented for some 
time any advances upon either side. But Mr. Wins- 
low being sent to the Indian king with a copper 
chain and two knives, with a friendly message 
from the governor, the sachem was pleased to 
descend from the hill, accompanied by twenty 
men unarmed. Captain Standish met liim at tlio 



OS 

brook, at the head of six men with muskets, and 
escorted him to one of the best houses, where 
three or four cushions were placed on a green 
rug, spread over the floor. The governor came 
in, preceded by a drum and trumpet, the sound of 
which greatly delighted the Indians. After mu- 
tual salutations, the governor kissing his majes- 
ty's hand, refreshments were ordered. A league 
of friendship was then agreed on, which was in- 
violably observed for above fifty years. 

The next day, March 23d, Mr. Carver was elect- 
ed governor for another year. 

In the beginning of April, twenty acres of land 
were prepared for the reception of Indian corn, 
and Samoset and Squanto taught the emigrants 
how to plant and dress it with herrings, of which 
immense quantities came into the brooks. Six 
acres were sowed with barley and peas. On the 
5th April the governor came out into the field at 
noon, complaining of a pain in his head, and in a 
few days after he died. He was succeeded in the 
office of governor by Mr. Bradford. The broad- 
sword of governor Carver is deposited in the cabi- 
net of the Massachusetts Historical Society in 
Boston. 



Carver, Jonathan, an enterprising traveller, 
was a native of Connecticut, and born in 1732. 
He was intended for the profession of medicine, 
which he quitted for a military life, and served 
with reputation in the expedition against the 
French in Canada, till the peace of 1763. After 
this period, he formed the resolution of exploring 
the most interior parts of North America, and of 
penetrating as far as the Pacific ocean. He hoped 
also to facilitate the discovery of a north-west 
passage, or of a communication between Hudson's 
bav and the Pacific ocean. If he could effect the 



04 

establishment of a post on the straits of Annian, 
he supposed he should thus open a channel for 
conveying intelligence to China, and the English 
settlements in the East Indies, with greater expe- 
dition, than by a tedious voyage by the Cape of 
Good Hope, or the straits of Magellan. The 
former of these projects he carried into execution 
amidst numerous difficulties, and returned to Bos- 
ton in October, 1768, having been absent on this 
expedition two years and five months, and during 
that time had travelled near 7000 miles. 

In 1778, he published his travels through the 
interior parts of North America. He died in 
1780, aged forty-eight years. 



Calvert, Leonard, the first governor of Mary- 
land, was the brother of Cecilius Calvert, the pro- 
prietor, and who sent him to America, as the head 
of the colony, in 1633. Accompanied by his bro- 
ther George, and about 200 persons of good fami- 
lies, they arrived at Point Comfort, in Virginia, 
February 24, 1634. On the 3d March they en- 
tered the Potomac, and sailed up about twelve 
leagues, and took possession of an island, which 
he afterwards called St. Clement's. He fired here 
his canon, erected a cross, and took possession 
"in the name of the Saviour of the world, and of 
the king of England." Thence he went fifteen 
leagues higher to the Indian town of Potomac, now 
called New-Marlborough, where he was received 
in a friendly manner by the natives. Thence he 
sailed twelve leagues higher to the town of Pica- 
taway, on the Maryland side, where he found Henry 
Fleet, an Englishmen, who had resided among the 
natives several years, and was held by them in 
great esteem. This man was very serviceable as 
an interpreter. An interview having been pro- 



65 

cured with the prince Werowanii, Calvert asked 
him, whether he was wiUing that a settlement 
should be made in his country. He replied, " I 
will not bid you go, neither will I bid you stay ; 
but you may use your own discretion." Having 
convinced the natives his designs were honour- 
able and pacific, the governor, by giving a satisfac- 
tory consideration, entered into a contract to re- 
side in one part of their town, until the next har- 
vest, when the natives should entirely quit the 
place. 

Thus on the 27th March, 1634, the governor 
took peaceable possession of the country of Mary- 
land, and gave to the town the name of St. Ma- 
ry's, and to the creek, on which it was situated, the 
name of St. George's. The desire of rendering- 
justice to the natives, by giving them a reasonable 
compensation for their lands, is a trait in the cha- 
racter of the first planters, which will always do 
honour to theif memory. 

This province was established on the broad foun- 
dation of security to property, and of freedom in 
religion. Fifty acres of land were granted in ab- 
solute fee to every emigrant, and Christianity was 
established without allowing pre-eminence to any 
particular sect. This liberal policy rendered a 
Roman catholic colony an asylum for those, who 
were driven from New-England by the persecu- 
tions which were then experienced from protes- 
tants. After the civil war in England, the parlia- 
ment assumed the government of the province, and 
appointed a new governor. Cecilius Calvert, the 
proprietor, recovered his right to the province upon 
the restoration of king Charles H., in 1660, and 
within a year or two appointed his son Charles 
the governor. He died in 1676, covered with age 
and reputation, and was succeeded by his son. 



60 

CoLMAN, BENJAMii\, DD. a learned divine, was 
born in Boston, October 19, 1673. He was dis- 
tinguished by early piety and zeal in literary pur- 
suits, and in 1692, was graduated at Harvard col- 
lege. In the year 1695, he went to London, where 
he had many friends. He preached to great ac- 
ceptance in tliat city, and became acquainted with 
Messrs. Bates, Calamy, Howe, and Burkett. On 
his return to this country, he was installed the first 
pastor of Brattle-street church. Here he conti- 
nued the faithful and beloved pastor, until the sum- 
mer of 1747, wdien he died, aged seventy-four 
years. 

Dr. Colman received a diploma of doctor in divi- 
nity from the university of Glasgow, 1731. He 
Avas elected president of Harvard college, 1724. 
He was universally respected for his learning and 
talents, and was considered at the head of the 
elergy after the death of Dr. Cotton Mather. He 
had an extensive correspondence, \thich he made 
subservient to useful and benevolent purposes. 
Through him the Hollis family laid their founda- 
tions for two professorships at Harvard college. 
His care also extended to Yale college, for which 
he procured many valuable books. His character 
was singularly excellent. There were few men 
more zealous and unwearied in the labours of the 
pastoral office. Having imbibed the true spirit of 
the gospel, he was catholic, moderate, benevolent, 
and ever anxious to promote the gospel of salvation. 
What president Holyoke said of him, in an oration 
pronounced the commencement after his death, 
was considered as correct sentiment, rather than 
panegyric. "Vita ejus utillissima in rebus chari- 
tatis, humanitatis, benignitatis, et beneficentige, 
nunquam non occupata est." 

His publications are numerous, principally theo- 
logical. An account of his life and writings have 
been published in one volume octavo. 



67 

l^HAUNCEY, Charles, DD. president of Harvard 
college, and who is styled in Mather's Magnalia, 
Cadmus Americanus, was born in England, in 
1589, and educated at the university of Cambridge. 
He there took the degree of B. D. Being inti- 
mately acquainted with archbishop Usher, one of 
the finest scholars in Europe, he had more than 
common advantages to expand his mind, and make 
improvements in literature. 

He was chosen Hebrew professor at Cambridge, 
but afterwards to oblige the vice-chancellor, he ac- 
cepted of the professorship of Greek. In Leigh's 
Critica Sacra, he is called Vir doctissimus, S^c. 
This uncommon scholar became a preacher, and 
was settled at Ware. 

He displeased archbishop Laud, by refusing to 
read the book of sports, and determined thereupon 
to seek the peaceable enjoyment of the rights of 
conscience in New-England. He accordingly came 
to this country, and arrived at Plymouth in the year 
1638. When a stop was put to the Laud can per- 
secution, he was invited back by his former people 
at Ware. At this time, however, the chair of the 
president was vacant at Harvard college. He was 
requested to accept it, and for a number of years 
performed the duties of that office with honour to 
himself, and to the reputation of that seminary of 
learning. "How learnedly he conveyed all the 
liberal arts to those that sat under his feat, how 
constantly he expounded the scriptures to them in 
the college hall, how wittily he moderated their 
disputations and other exercises, how fluently he 
expressed himself unto them, with Latin of a 
Terentian phrase, in all his discourses, and how 
carefully he inspected their manners, will never be 
forgotten by many of our most worthy men, who 
were made such by their education under him." 
When he made his oration on his inauguration, he 
concluded it thus : " Doctiorem, certe prsesidem, et 
huic oneri ac stationi multis modis aptiorem, vobis 



Oo 

facile licet invenire ; sed amantiorem, et vestri boni 
stiidiosiorem, non invenientis." 

He was an indefatigable student, making it his 
constant practice to rise at four o'clock in the morn- 
ing; but his studies did not interrupt his inter- 
course with heaven, for he usually devoted several 
hours in the course of the day to secret prayer. 
Immediately after he rose from bed, at eleven 
o'clock, at four in the afternoon, and at nine, he 
retired from the world to commune with the Fa- 
ther of mercies. He kept a diary, in which, under 
the heads of sins and mercies, he recorded his im- 
perfections, and the blessings Avhich were imparted 
to him. Yet with his zeal, attention to business, 
and to his private studies, with his amazing appli- 
cation to every thing that was before him, he lived 
to be famous, and preached to much acceptance at 
an age to which few reach, and they complain 
"their strength is labour and sorrow." When his 
friends advised him to remit his public labours, he 
answered, *' oportet imperatore mori stantem." At 
length, on the commencement of 1671, he address- 
ed to his friends a farewell oration, after which he 
sent for his children, and blessed them. 

He then with christian serenity awaited his de- 
parture, and closed his useful life at the age of 
eighty-two years. 

President Chauncey was a distinguished scholar, 
being intimately acquainted with many oriental 
languages. He was well versed also in the sci- 
ences, especially in theology, which was his fa- 
vourite study. 

A more learned man, perhaps, was not to be 
found among the fathers of New-England. He 
published a volume of sermons on justification, 
1659, 4to. 

His valuable manuscripts left at his death, were 
afterwards destroved by fire. 



ClintOx\,DeWitt, LL. D. a distinguished states- 
man, was born in the year 1769, in Orange county, 
New-York. In 1784, he entered Columbia col- 
lege, and at the commencement for conferring de- 
grees, he received the honours of the university. 
Early in the year 1786, he commenced the study 
of the law with Samuel Jones, Esq. a celebrated 
counsellor in New- York. He received the usual 
licenses or degrees, but did not immediately com- 
mence the practice of the law. He was shortly 
afterwards appointed secretary to his uncle, George 
Clinton, then governor of the state, in whose ser- 
vice he continued, during his administration, which 
ended in 1795. 

In 1797, he was elected a member of the assem- 
bly for the city of New- York. During the period 
of his legislative career, he devoted a large portion 
of his time to every subject which had relation to 
the advancement of science ; the promotion of 
agriculture ; manufactures, and the arts generally ; 
the establishment of the credit of our staple com- 
modities in foreign markets ; the gradual abolition 
of slavery; the encouragement of steam boats ; and 
the various objects of municipal improvement. 

In February, 1802, he was appointed a senator 
of the United States, in the place of general Arm- 
strong, who had resigned. He continued an active 
member of this body until October, 1803, when he 
retired, having been chosen mayor of the city of 
New- York. 

In 1806, he was chosen a member of the coun- 
cil of appointment. 

In 1807, Mr. Clinton was succeeded as mayor 
by colonel Willet. In 1808, he was again elected 
mayor of the city. He was also this year, chosen 
a regent of the university. In the senate he still 
continued his support to the encouragement of 
free schools, colleges, and manufactures. The 
record of the proceedings of the senate of New- 
York for the sessions of 1809, '10, '11, exhibit 



70 

proofs of his great usefulness. Under his auspices, 
the New-York historical society was incorporated ; 
the New-York academy of fine arts was incorporat- 
ed ; the orphan asylum and free school societies were 
fostered and encouraged; and a fur company was 
established, with a view of diverting that important 
branch of inland trade from Canada: besides, he 
introduced laws to prevent kidnapping ; for the sup- 
port of the quarantine establishment ; for the encou- 
ragement of missionary societies ; for the improve- 
ment of the public police ; for the prevention and 
punishment of crime ; for promoting medical sci- 
ence ; and for the endowing seminaries of learning. 

In March, 1810, he was appointed one of the 
commissioners, to report on the improvement of 
the internal navigation of the state. As soon as 
the board of commissioners made their report, a 
law was passed, " To provide for the internal navi- 
gation of the state." In consequence of the inter- 
ruption occasioned by the late war, nothing, how- 
ever, was done. In 1816, a law was passed, con- 
stituting a board of canal commissioners, of which 
Mr. Clinton w^as appointed president. The plan 
was, to connect lake Erie with the tide waters of 
the river Hudson. 

In 1817, a law was passed, (in consequence of 
the favourable reports made by the board,) autho- 
rizing the junction, by canals, of the two waters of 
the great western and northern lakes, with the At- 
lantic ocean. 

In 1811, Mr. Clinton was again cliosen mayor, 
which office he continued to hold until 1815. In 
1811, he was also chosen lieutenant-governor of 
the state of New- York. 

In March, 1817, he was chosen governor of the 
state, almost vv^ithout any opposition. 

He is at this time also closely connected with 
many literary, scientific, and benevolent institu- 
tions, of several of which he has been the framer. 
He is president of the literary and philosophical 



vl 

society of New- York, and of the New- York histo- 
rical society. He has been admitted a member of 
the American philosophical society, and of all the 
principal scientific associations in this country, and 
of several in Europe. In 1812, he received the 
honorary degree of LL. D. 

Governor Clinton's personal appearance is dig- 
nified and commanding, rather above the middle 
size, large and well proportioned, and a counte- 
nance highly expressive. His chief ambition has 
been to excel in what will benefit mankind. In 
private life and domestic duties, he is amiable and 
exemplary, exhibiting the picture of a great man, 
an elegant and profound scholar, and practical citi- 
zen ; a man of letters and the world, and a charac- 
ter of active worth to the present generation, and 
of solid and permanent advantage to posterity. 



Carroll, John, DD. first archbishop of the 
Roman catholic church in America, was born at 
Upper-Marlborough, Maryland, about the year 
1735. 

At a very early period he gave striking presages 
of his future worth. After spending some time at 
school in his native state, he was sent to the col- 
lege of St. Omers, in France, and graduated with 
distinguished reputation for scholarship. He was 
then transferred to the college of Liege, ordained 
a priest, and admitted a member of the Society of 
Jesus. After the dissolution of that society, he 
acted as the secretary of the dispersed fathers, in 
their remonstrances with the French court, respect- 
ing the temporal interests of the abolished order. 

He afterwards acted in the capacity of preceptor 
and governor to the son of the late Lord Stourton, 
on a tour through Europe. 

Upon his arrival in England lie rofc-ided for some 



lime ill the family of Lord Arundel, and on the 
commencement of our struggles, he returned to 
America. 

At the request of congress, he accompanied Dr. 
Franklin, Charles Carroll, of C^arrolton, and Sa- 
muel Chase, on a political mission to Canada. 

Throughout the revolutionary war he was firmly 
attached to the cause of freedom, and rendered his 
country important services. 

On the establishment of our independence, he 
solicited the Pope to erect the United States into 
an episcopal see, and received the appointment of 
bishop. And since, at the solicitation of the Ca- 
tholic clergy, he was raised to the dignity of arch- 
bishop. 

In the exercise of his sacred functions, he dis- 
played a spirit of conciliation, mildness, and chris- 
tian humility, which greatly endeared him to those 
under his charge. In him, religion assumed its 
most attractive form : dignified, yet simple ; pious, 
but not austere. 

Death to him had no terrors — he peacefully re- 
signed his breath into the hands of his Maker, De- 
cember 23, 1815, aged eighty years. 



Clinton, George, fourth vice-president of the 
United States, was born July 15, 1739, in the present 
town of New-Windsor, county of Orange, in the 
state of New-York. At an early age he displayed that 
spirit of enterprise and energy of character, which 
distinguished his conduct through life. During 
what is termed the French war, he signalized him- 
self in several successful expeditions against the 
French. He afterwards entered on the study of 
Law, under the direction of judge Smith, the his- 
torian of New- York. 

In 1764, he was admitted to the bar of the su- 



73 

preme court, and established himself in his native 
county, where he practised with great reputation 
and success. 

In conjunction with Charles De Witt, Esq. he 
was chosen a member of the colonial assembly, 
where he continued actively employed until the re- 
volution, displaying all the resources of a power- 
ful intellect, and the energies of undaunted pa- 
triotism. 

On the 22d April, 1775, he was appointed a dele- 
gate to the continental congress ; and in the same 
year he received the appointment of brigadier- 
general in the army of the United States. 

At the first election under the constitution of the 
state, which was adopted at New-York on the 20th 
April, 1777, he was chosen both governor and lieu- 
tenant-governor; he accepted the former, in which 
office he was afterwards continued by six succes- 
sive triennial elections. 

During the revolutionary war, his situation as 
chief magistrate of the state of New-York, was the 
most arduous, the most critical, and the most im- 
portant of any office in the new empire, except that 
of the commander-in-chief. 

The state was harassed at all points by hostile 
forces, by disaffection, and by treason. It was at 
this eventful crisis, too, that the British commander 
attempted to divide the eastern from the other 
members of the confederacy, by a cordon of troops 
and armed vessels, extending from the city of New- 
York along Hudson's river to the northern lakes. 
Governor Clinton, with a handful of men, for a long 
time successfully opposed the operations of the 
whole British army, and was finally the cause that 
frustrated the schemes of the British commander, 
which, had they succeeded, might have prostrated 
for a time the liberties of America. 

In June, 1788, governor Clinton was chosen presi- 
dent of the convention, which met at Poughkeepsie, 
to deliberate on the new constitution. 

10 



74 

After a retirement of five years from public life, 
he was induced from the critical and agitated state 
of the country, to step forth from the asylum of do- 
mestic enjoyments, into the troubled theatre of 
politics; and there is no doubt that his influence 
was the principal cause of the great political revo- 
lution which took place in 1801. At that time he 
was also prevailed upon to accept the appointment 
of governor. He held that office for three years, 
and was then elected vice-president of the United 
States. In this station he remained until his de- 
cease, which took place on the 20th April, 1812, at 
the city of Washington. 

Governor Clinton's conduct was as amiable and 
exemplary in private, as it was dignified and useful 
in public life. As a public character, he will live 
in the veneration of posterity, and the progress of 
time will thicken the laurels that surround his mon- 
ument. The characteristic virtues which distin- 
guished his life, appeared in full splendour in the 
trying hour of death ; and he died as he lived, with- 
out fear and without reproach. 



CoDDiNGTON, WiLLiAM, the father of Rhode-Isl- 
and, was a native of Lincolnshire, England. He 
was appointed a magistrate for Massachusetts, and 
came to this country in 1630, and fixed himself in 
Boston. On account of party politics, he removed 
to Rhode-Island, April 26, 1638, and was the prin- 
cipal instrument in effecting the original settle- 
ment of that place. His name stands first in the 
covenant signed by eighteen persons at Aquetneck, 
or Rhode-Island, March 7, 1638, forming them- 
selves into a body politic, to be governed by the 
laws of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings. 
It was soon found necessary to have something 
more definite. Mr. Coddington was appointed 



7& 

judge, and three elders were joined with him ; these 
were directed by a vote of the freemen, January 2, 
1639, to be governed by the general rules of the 
word of God, when no particular rule was known. 
But this plan was changed, March 12, 1640, when 
a governor, lieutenant-governor, and four assist- 
ants were appointed. 

Mr. Coddington was chosen governor seven 
years successively, until the charter was obtained, 
and the island was incorporated with the Provi- 
dence plantations. In 1647 he assisted in forming 
the body of laws which has been the basis of the 
government of Rhode-Island ever since. In 1651, 
he went to England, and was commissioned go- 
vernor of Aquetueck island, separate from the rest 
of the colony : but as the people were jealous lest 
his commission should affect their laws and liber- 
ties, he resigned it. Towards the close of life he 
was again chosen governor, and in 1678 he died 
governor of the colony, being about 78 years of 
age. He was prudent in his administration, and 
active in promoting the welfare of the common- 
wealth. 



CoLDEN, Cadwallader, an eminent physician, 
botanist, and astronomer, was born in Scotland, 
February 17, 1688. Having completed his acade- 
mical studies at the university of Edinburgh, he 
applied himself to medicine and mathematics, and 
was eminently distinguished by his proficiency in 
both. Allured by the fame of William Penn's colo- 
ny, he came to this country about the year 1708, 
and practised physic. He returned to England 
and formed an acquaintance with some of the most 
distinguished literary characters of England, with 
whom he afterwards corresponded, furnishing them 
with curious and useful intelligence respecting 



76 

America. From London he went to Scotland, and 
married a Miss Christie, with whom he returned to 
America in 1716. 

At the strong solicitations of General Hunter, in 
1718, he settled in New- York, and was shortly after 
appointed surveyor-general, and about the same 
time, master in chancery. On the arrival of go- 
vernor Burnet, he was honoured with a seat in the 
king's council of the province. He afterwards rose 
to the head of this board, and in that station suc- 
ceeded to the administration of the government in 
1760. In 1761, he was appointed lieutenant-go- 
vernor of New-York. He held this commission the 
remainder of his life, and was repeatedly at the 
head of government, in consequence of the death 
or absence of several governors. 

His political character was rendered very con- 
spicuous, by the firmness of his conduct during the 
violent commotions which preceded the late revo- 
lution. His administration is rendered memorable, 
amongst other things, by several charters of incor- 
poration for useful and benevolent purposes. The 
corporation for the relief of distressed seamen, 
that of the chamber of commerce, and one for the 
relief of widows and children of clergymen, will 
transmit his name with honour to posterity. After 
the return of governor Tryon, in 1775, he retired 
to his seat on Long-Island, where he died, Sep- 
tember 28, 1776. 

Mr. Golden began early to notice the plants of 
America, classing and distinguishing them accord- 
ing to the custom of botany then in use. When he 
became acquainted with Linnseus's system of bota- 
ny, he applied himself with new delight to that 
study. His descriptions of between three and four 
hundred American plants, were published in the 
Acta Upsaliensia. Though his principal attention, 
after the year 1760, was directed from philosophi- 
cal to political matters, yet he maintained with 
great punctuality his literary correspondence with 



77 



Linnaeus, Gronovius, Collinson, Dr. Franklin, and 
many other of the literati of Europe. 

In 1747, he published in London, a history of the 
five nations of Indians. 



Cooper, Samuel, DD. an eminent divine, was 
born in Boston, March 28, 1725. He was the son 
of the Rev. William Cooper ; and his successor at 
Brattle-street church. He was graduated at Har- 
vard college, in 1743. He early exhibited genius 
and talents of the first order. His erudition was 
rather extensive than deep, but his ready mind 
and brilliant imagination, enabled him to shine in 
company. 

In 1746, he was ordained, and was very distin- 
guished in the sacred office which he sustained. 
His sermons were evangelical and perspicuous, 
and unequalled in America for elegance and 
taste. 

Dr. Cooper was among the first of those patriots 
who took a decided part in opposition to the arbi- 
trary exactions of Great Britain. At all times he 
was a leading character among the American 
whigs. And from the time of the stamp act to the 
revolutionary war, some of the best political pieces 
in the Boston Gazette were the effiisions of his 
pen. Such were his abilities and firmness, that 
he was esteemed and consulted by some of the 
principal men, who were the means of effecting 
our revolution. He did much towards procuring 
foreign alliances. His letters were read with great 
satisfaction in the court of Versailles, while men 
of the most distinguished characters in Europe 
became his correspondents. When his country 
had asserted her right to independence, believing 
that knowledge is necessary to the support of a 
free government, he w^as anxious to render our li- 



78 

berties perpetual, by promoting literary establish- 
ments. He was one of the foremost on laying 
the foundation of the American academy of arts 
and sciences, and was chosen its first vice-presi- 
dent in the year 1780. 

For a number of years he was a fellow of Har- 
vard college, and in 1774, was chosen its president. 
His diploma of Doctor in Divinity was presented 
by the university of Edinburgh. After a ministry 
of near thirty-seven years, he died December 29, 
1783. In his last illness he expressed his great 
satisfaction in seeing his country in peace, and in the 
possession of freedom and independence, and his 
hopes, that the virtue and public spirit of his coun- 
trymen, would prove to the world, that they were 
not unworthy of these inestimable blessings. 



GoTTON, John, an eminent divine, was born in 
Derby, England, December 4, 1585. At the age of 
thirteen, he was admitted a member of Trinity col- 
lege, Cambridge, and afterwards removed to 
Emanuel college, where he obtained a fellowship. 
He soon acquired a high reputation for scholar- 
ship, and was appointed head lecturer in the col- 
lege. In 1612, he was appointed a minister of 
Boston, in Lincolnshire. 

Mr. Cotton, following the steps of many wor- 
thies, left his own country, anxious to secure to 
himself the peaceable enjoyment of the rights of 
conscience, though in a wilderness. He arrived in 
this country in company with Mr. Hooker and Mr. 
Stone, September 4, 1633 ; and settled himself in 
Boston as teacher of the church, in connexion 
with Rev. Mr. Wilson, and acquired great celebri- 
ty; and so extensive was his usefulness, that he 
has been called the patriarch of New-England. 
Mr. Cotton beofan the Sabbath on Saturdav even- 



79 

ing. He gave religious instruction, read the 
scriptures, and then retired into his study. The 
Sabbath he spent either in his study, or in the pul- 
pit. He was a very accomplished preacher, and 
sustained a high reputation for learning. He was 
a critic in Greek, and with Hebrew he was so well 
acquainted, that he could discourse in it; the La- 
tin he wrote with great elegance. Uniting to con- 
spicuous talents, and a profound judgment, the 
candour and mildness enjoined in the gospel, and 
the warmth of pious feeling, his instructions fell 
with the gentleness of the dew, and insinuated 
themselves imperceptibly into the mind. His li- 
brary was large, and he had well studied the fathers 
and schoolmen, but he preferred Calvin to them 
all. 

In 1652, he was invited to England with Mr. 
Hooker and Mr. Davenport, to assist in the assem- 
bly of divines at Westminster ; and was on the 
point of accepting, when he was seiz.ed with an 
inflammation of the lungs, which terminated his 
valuable life, December 23, 1652. 

Mr. Cotton's publications were numerous. The 
most celebrated are the works, which he publish- 
ed in the controversy with Roger Williams ; the 
pouring out of the seven vials; an exposition of 
Ecclesiastes, 1654; sermons on the first epistle of 
John, folio ; an exposition of the Canticles, &c. 



mm 



CuSHiNG, Thomas, LL. D. a distinguished pa- 
triot, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, about the 
year 1725, and was graduated at Harvard college, 
in 1744. In early life he was called to respecta- 
ble public offices. Having been chosen represen- 
tative of Boston, in the general court, his patriot- 
ism and talents soon procured him the appoint- 
ment of speaker, a place, which his father, who 



BO 

died in 1746, had occupied with great reputation. 
He continued to fill this station, till he was chosen 
one of the members of the first congress, which 
convened at Philadelphia, in September, 1774. 

In 1779, he declined a re-election to congress, 
and after the adoption of the state constitution, 
was appointed lieutenant-governor, in which office 
he remained until his death, which happened in 
February, 1788. 

He was from youth a professor of religion ; the 
motives of the gospel governed him through life ; 
and at the hour of his departure from the world, 
its sublime doctrines and its promises gave him 
support. He was a man of abilities; a distin- 
guished patriot ; a friend of learning ; and scrupu- 
lously devoted his time to the public good. 

There was a time, when he was considered in 
Great Britain as the leader of the whigs in this 
country. The reason of his being known so much 
in that country was, that his name was signed to 
all the public papers, as speaker of the house. He 
had, however, less political zeal than Otis, Adams, 
or Hancock. 



Crawford, William H. a distinguished states- 
man, was born in Virginia, about the year 1770. 
At the age of fourteen, he emigrated with his pa- 
rents to Georgia. For several years, Mr. Craw- 
ford was engaged in agricultural pursuits, during 
which time, his towering genius made a gradual 
advancement to the temple of science and of 
knowledge, under the private tuition of Mr. Wad- 
dell, who now presides over the university of 
Georgia. On completing his academic course, 
Mr. Crawford took charge of the academy in Au- 
gusta ; and employed the time not required in the 
seminary, in prosecuting a course of legal study, 



81 

which, by the time he had arrived to the age of 
thirty, had fitted him for the practice of the law. 

Soon after his admission to the bar, he was one 
of the three gentlemen appointed to prepare a 
digest of the laws of the state, the labour of which 
was principally borne by him : and the work, com- 
pleted in a masterly manner, was received and 
published by authority of the legislature. His pro- 
fessional career now opened to him a wider field 
of emolument and reputation. The excellence of 
his understanding, and the superiority of his in- 
tellect, soon brought him into public life, where 
he displayed to advantage, those powers with 
which nature had so eminently gifted him. 

He w^as now called to a seat in the legislature 
of his state, which he continued to fill for four 
successive years, with advantage to himself and 
his constituents. 

In 1807, he was elected to the senate of the 
United States ; and took his seat in that body, un- 
known to every member in it, and equally new to 
all the executive officers, having been in no way 
before connected with the administration of the 
federal government. 

Pursuing an undeviating course in his politics, 
and attached to the democratic party ; the unbend- 
ing integrity of his character, and his powerful ta- 
lents, soon marked him out as one of the most po- 
pular and prominent members of either house. 
He now became a common centre of attraction, 
and by his frankness and conciliatory manners, at- 
tached to him friends from both parties. 

In the session of 1811 and '12, his zeal and ta- 
lents in the debates of that interesting period, 
often brought him into conspicuous notice, and by 
his firm and manly conduct was considered the 
main stay of the administration in the senate. 

On the resignation of Mr. Eustis, in 1812, he 
was invited to take charge of that office, but de- 
clined the honour. 

1] 



82 

lii 1813, on the death of Mr. Barlow, he was ap- 
pointed to succeed him as minister plenipotentiary 
to the court of France, to which he repaired with- 
out delay. 

The catastrophe of the great campaign of 1813, 
in Europe, and the glorious termination of our war 
with England, superseded the investigations con- 
templated in the mission to France, and afforded 
Mr. Crawford an early opportunity to return home, 
in compliance with his owai arrangements and sti- 
pulations at the time of his departure from Wash- 
ington. He came home in the same vessel with 
his past friend, the lamented Bayard, and on his 
arrival took charge of the war department, to 
which he had been appointed in anticipation of his 
return. On the resignation of Mr. Dallas, he was 
transferred by president Madison to the treasury 
department, and has there continued to the pre- 
sent time. 

In all these various situations, he has never fail- 
ed to discover the same powers and energies of 
mind, and the same acuteness and depth of pene- 
tration. 



Danforth, Thomas, president of the district of 
Maine, was born in England in 1622. After his 
arrival in this country, he resided at Cambridge, 
and had great influence in the management of pub- 
lic affairs, and conducted himself with great firm- 
ness and resolution in the most difficult times. 
He led the opposition, and, assisted by Cooke and 
Goskin, he vindicated the chartered rights of his 
country, and would yield no privilege which the 
charter gave them. Hence he was obnoxious to 
Randolph, Andross, and to the ministry of Great 
Britain. For the same reason he was the idol of 
the populace in New-England. 

In 1679, the inhabitants of the district of Maine 
being no longer attached to Massachusetts, as a 
county, elected him president of the province.. 

He died in 1699, aged seventy-seven years. 



Davenport, John, first minister of New-Haven, 
and one of the founders of that colony, was born 
in Coventry, England, 1597. He was graduated 
at Brazen-Nose college, Oxford, and soon after be- 
gan to preach. Retiring to London, he became an 
eminent preacher among the puritans. In 1630, 
he united with Dr. Gouge, Dr. Libs, and others, 
in purchasing impropriations, and with the profits 
of them, to provide ministers for poor and desti- 
tute congregations. But archbishop Laud took 
umbrage at it, as favouring non-conformity, and 
caused the company to be dissolved, and the mo- 
ney to be confiscated to the use of his majesty. 
In 1673, Mr. Davenport, in order to escape the im- 
pending storm, came to Boston, and was received 



84 

with great respect. In 1638, he sailed with his fol- 
lowers for Quiniiipiack, or New-Haven, to found a 
new colony. On the 18th April, the first Sabbath 
after their arrival, he preached under an oak, and 
was their minister for nearly thirty years after- 
wards. In the government which was established, 
it was ordained, that none but members of the 
church should enjoy the privileges of freemen. 

He endeavoured to establish a civil and religi- 
ous order, more strictly in conformity to the word 
of God, than he had seen exhibited in any part of 
the world. His intrepidity saved Whalley and 
GofFe, the judges of king Charles I., who fled to 
New-Haven in 1661, and by his preaching instigat- 
ed the people to protect these unfortunate men 
from their executioners. In 1667, he succeeded 
the Rev. Mr. Wilson, as pastor of the first church 
in Boston, but his labours were of short duration, 
for he died of an appoplexy, March 15, 1670. He 
was .a distinguished scholar, and a man of exem- 
plary piety and virtue. Such was his reputation, 
that he was invited with Mr. Cotton, and Mr. Hook- 
er, to take a seat among the Westminster divines. 
His portrait is preserved in the museum of Yale 
college. 

His publications are, " The Saint's Anchor," "A 
Treatise upon Civil Government," " Sermons," &c. 



Davies, Sajmuel, DD. president of Princeton col- 
lege, in New- Jersey, was born November 3, 1724. 
His father was a planter, in the county of Newcas- 
tle, on the Delaware, of great simplicity of man- 
ners, and of great piety. He was an only son. 
His mother, an eminent christian, had earnestly 
besought him of heaven, and believing him to be 
given in answer to prayer, she named him Samuel. 
She superintended his education till about his tenth 



85 

year, when he was sent from home to a school, at 
which he continued till his twelfth year. 

Soon after this period, he experienced a change 
of heart, and after repeated and impartial self-ex- 
aminations, he attained a confidence respecting his 
state which continued to the close of life. 

Having tasted the joys of religion, he became 
eagerly desirous of imparting to his fellow sinners 
the knowledge of the truth. With this object be- 
fore him, he engaged with new ardour in literary 
and theological pursuits. After undergoing the 
necessary examinations, he passed, with distin- 
guished approbation, and was licensed to preach 
the gospel. 

He now applied himself to unfold and enforce 
those precious truths, whose power he had expe- 
rienced on his own heart. His fervent zeal and 
undissembled piety, his popular talents, and great 
eloquence, soon excited general admiration. In 
1747, the presbytery of Newcastle appointed him 
to oflficiate in four meeting-houses in Hanover 
county, Virginia, where it pleased God to bless his 
labours with great success. 

In 1753, the synod of New- York, at the instance 
of the trustees of New-Jersey college, chose him 
to accompany the Rev. Gilbert Tenent to Great 
Britain, to solicit benefactions for the college. 
This service he cheerfully undertook, and execut- 
ed it with singular spirit and success. The liberal 
benefactions which were received, placed the col- 
lege in a respectable condition. After his return, 
he again faithfully preached to his flock in Hano- 
ver, till 1759, when he was chosen president of the 
college, as successor of president Edwards. He 
hesitated at first to accept of the appointment, but 
being urged by repeated applications, he at length 
accepted it, and was inducted into the office in 
July, 1759. 

Here the vigour and versatility of his genius were 
strikingly displayed: scarcely had his usefulness 



86 

begun to be felt, when he was called to an eternal 
world. He died February 4th, 1761. He was 
succeeded in the office of president by the Rev. 
Dr. Finley. 

Mr. Davies was endowed with a vigorous un- 
derstanding, a glowing imagination, and a reten- 
tive memory. He was bold and enterprising, and 
destined to excel in whatever he undertook. In 
the pulpit he presented a model of the most strik- 
ing oratory. When he spoke, he seemed to have 
the glories and terrors of the unseen world in his 
eye ; and seldom preached without making a visi- 
ble impression upon his hearers. 

His sermons, which fully exhibit his sentiments, 
have passed through a number of editions. They 
abound with the beauties and elegancies of expres- 
sion, and with the richest imagery. The best edi- 
tion is in three volumes octavo, 1811. 



Decatur, Stephen, commodore in the navy of 
the United States, was born on the 5th January, 
1779, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, whither 
his parents had retired, whilst the British were in 
possession of Philadelphia. 

In March, 1798, he received a midshipman's 
warrant, ecnd shortly after was promoted to a lieu- 
tenancy. 

He then sailed with commodore Dale's squadron 
to the Mediterranean. On his return to the United 
States, he was promoted to the command of the 
Argus, and was ordered to join commodore Pre- 
ble's squadron, then in the Mediterranean. On his 
arrival there, he was transferred to the schooner 
Enterprise, and proceeded to Syracuse, where he 
learned the fate of the frigate Philadelphia. He 
immediately proposed to commodore Preble, to 
re-capture, or destroy her. The consent of the 



87 

commodore having been obtained, he sailed from 
Syracuse in the ketch Intrepid, manned with seven- 
ty men; accompanied by the Syren, lieutenant 
Stew^art, who was to aid with his boats, and to re- 
ceive the ketch, in case it should be found expe- 
dient to use her as a fireship. On the 8th Februa- 
ry, he arrived before Tripoli, but the Syren in con- 
sequence of a change of wind, was thrown six miles 
off from the Intrepid. Notwithstanding this mis- 
fortune, lieutenant Decatur, determined not to await 
a junction, lest a delay might be fatal to the enter- 
prise, and entered the harbour of Tripoli within a 
half gun shot of the bashaw's castle, and of the 
principal batteries, beside the enemy's cruisers, 
who lay around the frigate — such were the immi- 
nent perils which his daring courage so nobly sur- 
mounted. About 11 o'clock at night, he boarded 
the frigate Philadelphia, and in a few minutes gain- 
ed entire possession. The enemy had by this time 
opened his batteries upon him, and a number of 
launches were seen rowing towards him. He then 
ordered the ship to be set on fire, and such was 
the rapidity of the flames, that it was with the ut- 
most difficulty they preserved the ketch. At this 
critical moment a breeze sprung up, blowing di- 
rectly out of the harbour, which in a few minutes 
carried him beyond the reach of the enemy's guns, 
and they made good their retreat without the loss 
of a single man, and with but four wounded. 

For this gallant and romantic achievement he 
was made post-captain, with the consent of the 
officers over whose heads he was raised. 

In the ensuing spring commodore Preble made 
an attack upon Tripoli, when one of the divisions 
were commanded by captain Decatur. In this ac- 
tion, he acted with undaunted bravery. He took 
two of the enemy's vessels, the commander of one 
of which had treacherously shot his brother, and 
while making for the harbour, captain Decatur pur- 
sued him and avenged the death of his brother so 



88 

basely murdered; and afterwards succeeded in 
getting with both of his prizes to the squadron. 

The next day, he received the highest commen- 
dation, in a general order, from commodore Pre- 
ble. 

Captain Decatur was now transferred to the 
command of the frigate Congress, and returned 
home in her when peace was concluded with Tri- 
poli. 

When the frigate United States was put in com- 
mission, captain Decatur took command of her, 
previous to which, he had the command of the 
southern squadron. 

The late war with Great Britain gave him an- 
other opportunity of adding to the laurels he had 
won. On the 25th October, 1812, in latitude 29, 
N. longitude 29, 30, W. he fell in with his majes-. 
ty's ship Macedonian, mounting forty-nine guns. 
After an action of one hour and an half, the ene- 
my surrendered, with a loss of 36 killed, and 68 
wounded — while the loss of the Americans was 
only 4 killed, and 7 wounded. He now carried his 
prize into Newport, Rhode Island, from thence she 
afterwards proceeded to New-York, and was x'e- 
fitted. 

In May, 1813, after an ineffectual attempt to pass 
the enemy, and to go to sea, commodore Decatur 
was obliged to make New-London harbour, where 
he was pursued by the enemy's blockading squa- 
dron, imd was closely invested by them. 

In January, 1815, commodore Decatur was ap- 
pointed to the command of the ship President. 
On the 14th, he embraced the only possible oppor- 
tunity to escape the enemy's squadron, and go to 
sea. On the morning of the 15th, he discovered 
the enemy nearly ahead, one of which, the Endy- 
mion frigate, as it afterwards appeared, commenced 
a fire on the President, which was so spiritedly 
returned, that in less than two hours she was so 
crippled, and favoured by a breeze, the President 



89 

with all sail set went out of the action, and had 
every probability of escaping, had thick weather 
set in, of which there was every appearance. On 
the contrary it continued fine, and enabled three 
other of the enemy's ships in less than two hours 
afterwards to approach w*ithin half gun shot : — be- 
ing now assailed by so superior a force, without 
any probability of escape, commodore Decatur be- 
ing influenced by motives of humanity, ordered a 
signal of surrender to be made. He was imme- 
diately taken possession of by the Pomone and 
Tenedos, each of thirty-eight guns, and Majestic 
razee of sixty-two guns, and carried into Bermuda. 

On the 22d February, he arrived at New-Lon- 
don, Connecticut. 

In the summer of 1815, commodore Decatur 
was despatched with a squadron to the Mediterra- 
nean, to protect the American commerce, and to 
'reduce the regency of Algiers to a pacific disposi- 
tion. He arrived off Cape de Gatt on the 17th 
June, where he had the good fortune to fall in with 
the Algerine admiral, and after an action of twen- 
ty-five minutes captured his ship, mounting forty- 
nine guns. On the 19th, after a chase of three 
hours, he captured an Algerine brig of twenty-two 
guns. On the 29th June, he arrived before Al- 
giers, and concluded a treaty of peace on advanta- 
geous terms. After having visited the other Bar- 
bary ports of Tunis and Tripoli, he returned to the 
United States in November following. President 
Madison soon after appointed him a member of 
the board of commissioners at Washington, for the 
navy of the United States. It was while in the 
discharge of the duties of this board, that he was 
challenged to single combat, with pistols, by com- 
modore James Barron, and was mortally wounded 
at the first fire. He expired on the night of the 
22d March, 1820. 

Before he expired, he openly opposed the prin- 
ciple of duelling, and threw himself upon the mercy 

12 



90 

of that God whose laws he had viokited. Commo- 
dore Decatur was pltiasing in his person, of an in- 
telligent and interesting countenance. His man- 
ners were unassuming and engaging, uniting the 
polish of the gentleman jvith the frank simplicity 
of a sailor. 

As a naval officer, he has never been surpassed. 
The most minute branches of naval science never 
escaped his attention, and the most abstruse never 
exceeded his comprehension. The various ma- 
nceuvrings of a ship or squadron, were as fami- 
liar with him, as the evolutions of an army to the 
scientific military officer. Whether encountering 
the enemy in the humble galley, or breasting the 
shock of battle in the majestic ship, he bore into 
action, as if the genius of victory hovered over 
him, and gave him conquest in anticipation. When 
in the midst of an engagement, his own personal 
safety never occupied a thought. His fearless soul 
was engrossed with the safety of his crew and his 
ship, and the destruction of the enemy. But the 
moment the battle-fray was ended, he was chang- 
ed into a ministering spirit of mercy. Over his 
slain enemy, he dropped a tear — to a wounded 
one, he imparted consolation — he mingled his sighs 
with the groans of the dying, and rendered every 
honour to the gallant dead. 



Dickinson, John, a distinguished political writer, 
and a friend to his country, was the son of Samuel 
Dickinson, Esq., of Delaware- In 1764, he was 
elected a member of the assembly of Pennsylvania ; 
and in 1765, was returned a member to the general 
congress. In November, 1767, he began to pub- 
lish his celebrated letters against the acts of the 
British parliament, laying duties on paper, glass, 
&c. They supported the liberties of his country. 



91 

and contributed much to the American revolution. 
In 1774, he was elected a member of the first 
congress ; and the petition to the king, which was 
adopted at this time, was written by him, and is 
considered an elegant and spirited composition. 
In June, 1776, he opposed openly, and upon prin- 
ciple, the declaration of independence, when the 
motion was considered by congress. His argu- 
ments were answered by John Adams, who advo- 
cated a separation from Great-Britain. The part 
which Mr. Dickinson took in this debate, occasion- 
ed his recall from congress, as his constituents did 
not coincide with his views. After being absent 
several years, and finding his constituents unaltera- 
bly fixed in their system of independence, he fell 
in with it, and was as zealous in supporting it in 
congress about the year 1780, as any of the mem- 
bers. In 1782, he was elected president of Penn- 
sylvania. In 1785 he was succeeded in the office 
by Dr. Franklin. He afterwards removed to Dela- 
ware, where he was appointed a member of the old 
congress; and of which state he was also president. 
He died at Wilmington, February 15, 180i8, at an 
advanced age. 

He filled with ability the various high stations in 
which he was placed. The welfare of his country 
was ever dear to him, and he was ready to make 
any sacrifice for its promotion. He invariably ma- 
nifested an attachment to a republican government, 
and supported those men and those measures, which 
he believed most friendly to republican principles. 

His political writings have been collected and 
published in two volumes, octavo, 1801. 



Dickinson, Jonathan, first president of New- 
Jersey college, was graduated at Yale college in 
1706. Two years afterwards, he was settled minister 



m - 

of the lirst Presbyterian church in Elizabeth-Town, 
New- Jersey. Of this church he was for near forty 
years the joy and glory. The charter of the col- 
lege of New-Jersey having been enlarged by go- 
vernor Belcher, in October, 1746, Mr. Dickinson 
was appointed president. It however did not long 
enjoy his superintendence, for it pleased God to 
call him away from life, October 7, 1747, in the 
sixtieth year of his age. 

Mr. Dickinson was a man of learning, of distin- 
guished talents, and celebrated as an eloquent 
preacher. His writings possess very considerable 
merit, and are numerous. 



Dallas, Alexander James, secretary of the 
treasury of the United States, was born June "21, 
1759, and was educated at the university of Edin- 
burgh, Scotland. 

He came to this country in the year 1783, and 
commenced the study of the law, and two years 
after, was admitted to practice in the supreme court 
of Pennsylvania. 

For several years his practice not being very ex- 
tensive, he prepared for the press the cases adjudg- 
ed in the courts of Pennsylvania, before and since 
the revolution. 

In 1791, he was appointed secretary of the com- 
monwealth of Pennsylvania, and in the same year 
was elected a member of the American philosophi- 
cal society. 

In 1796, he published an edition of the laws of 
Pennsylvania, with notes. 

In 1801, he was appointed by president Jeffer- 
son, attorney of the United States for the eastern 
district of Pennsylvania, and resigned his secreta- 
ryship. This commission was confirmed by the 
senate in 1802, and he continued connected in this 
way with the government, imtil October, 1814, when 



93 

president Madison appointed him to the office of 
secretary of the treasury of the United States. 

In 1815, he undertook the additional and very 
delicate trust of secretary at war, and executed 
with acknowledged success, the invidious task of 
reducing the army of the United States. 

In the month of November, 1816, peace being 
restored, the finances arranged, the embarrassment 
of the circulating medium daily diminishing, and 
soon to disappear under the influence of the na- 
tional bank, which it had so long been his labour 
to establish, he resigned his honourable trust, and 
resumed the practice of the law in Philadelphia. 

At this place he suddenly closed his career, Ja- 
nuary 16, 1817. 

Mr. Dallas possessed a mind highly gifted by 
nature, and richly cultivated with a variety of 
knowledge. 

As an advocate, he was learned, ingenious, and 
excursive, and at times very eloquent. 

As a statesman, his talents were of the highest 
order ; bold, comprehensive, and profound, and ca- 
pable of grasping whatever subject he attempted. 



Davie, William Richardson, one of the signers 
of the federal constitution, was born June 20, 1756. 
This distinguished patriot, at the commencement 
of the revolutionary war, was a student at Princeton 
college, where he finished his education, and gra- 
duated in the ever memorable y-ear of '76. On his 
return home, he went to Salisbury, North-Carolina, 
and commenced the study of the law. The war 
continuing, contrary to the expectation which ge- 
nerally prevailed when it began, he could no longer 
resist his ardent wish to plant himself among the 
defenders of his country. Without delay he join- 
ed the southern armv, and we find him at the bat- 



^4 

tie of Stono, as brigade-major of cavalry, covering 
tlie retreat of Lincoln's army. At the period of 
Gates's defeat, his zeal and activity had advanced 
him to the command of a legionary corps, in whose 
equipment he expended the last shilling of an es- 
tate bequeathed to him by his uncle. On the fatal 
16th August, he was hastening with his corps to 
join the army, when he met our dispersed and 
flying troops. He nevertheless advanced towards 
the conqueror, and was essentially serviceable, not 
only in preventing pursuit, but in recapturing the 
baggage and some of our men. Convinced that 
the victorious enemy would seek and strike at the 
brigade under Sumpter, he, with laudable zeal, im- 
mediately despatched a confidential soldier with 
the intelligence of Gates's defeat, and then reluc- 
tantly retired. He had previously under the com- 
mand of Sumpter, fought both at Hanging-Rock and 
Rocky-Mount. In consideration of his eminent 
services, the governor of North-Carolina promot- 
ed him to the rank of brigadier-general. , 

General Davie was not only distinguished as an 
intelligent, but as an intrepid soldier. His delight 
was to lead a charge ; and possessing great bodily 
strength, united with uncommon activity, is said to 
have overcome more men in personal conflict than 
any individual in the service. 

His knowledge of the country and of its re- 
sources, induced general Greene, on assuming the 
command of the southern army, to intrust him with 
the charge of the quarter-master general's depart- 
ment. 

He afterwards employed him as a negotiator 
with the legislature of North-Carolina, for supplies 
of men, the more eflectually to resist the enemy. 
In both these capacities he acquitted himself with 
consummate ability, and to the entire satisfaction 
of his general. 

At the close of the war he returned home, and 
resumed the practice of the law. He very soon 



95 

rose to great eminence ; and in a few years, became 
one of its principal leaders and ornaments. He 
was possessed of great sagacity, profound know- 
ledge, and masculine eloquence. 

In 1787, he was appointed by the legislature of 
North-Carolina, a member of the grand convention 
which met at Philadelphia, to frame the present 
constitution. He was afterwards elected a mem- 
ber of the state convention, which met to ratify 
and adopt it, and was one of its ablest champions, 
and most ardent supporters. 

In 1799, he was elected governor; the duties of 
which station he performed with his accustomed 
firmness and wisdom. He was not, however, per- 
mitted to remain long in that station. His country 
had higher claims on his talents and services. 

The venerable Mr. Adams, then president of the 
United States, anxious to make one more effort to 
put an end to the differences which subsisted be- 
tween this country and France, associated general 
Davie with Mr. Ellsworth and Mr. Murray, as his 
ambassadors to that court. These gentlemen, on 
their arrival in France, found the tyrannical and 
corrupt government of the directory, which had 
behaved so haughtily to general Pinckney and his 
colleagues, overturned by Bonaparte ; who though 
possessed of more power than his predecessors, 
was desirous to conciliate the United States. Com- 
missioners were appointed to discuss the subjects 
of dispute, and their deliberations ended in a con- 
vention, which healed the breach, and saved the 
United States from being dragged into the vortex 
of European quarrels. 

General Davie, who had, during his stay in 
France, witnessed and deplored the effects of the 
revolution upon that country, upon his return to 
the United States, endeavoured to impress upon all 
Americans, but chiefly upon young men of ardent 
minds, and promising talents, the vast importance 
of moderation and toleration in republican govern- 



96 

"merits ; without which, they can scarcely hope to 
escape the snares of ambitious demagogues, and 
the ruin of violent dissentions. General Davie con- 
templated the character of Bonaparte with great 
attention. He saw him often, and conversed with 
him freely. He considered him as a man of first 
rate talents as a warrior, and of great research as 
a statesman. But he regarded him also, as a man 
of unbounded ambition, restrained by no principles, 
human or divine. His opinion of him afterwards 
was verified, by his assumption of imperial and 
despotic power. 

General Davie continued to reside at his beautiful 
seat, on the banks of the Catawba, to which travel- 
lers and visiters were constantly attracted by his 
open hospitality, his dignified manners, and ele- 
vated character. The affability of his deportment 
gave easy access to all. But no person approach- 
ed him, however distinguished by his talents or 
character, who did not speedily feel, that he was in 
the presence of a very* superior man. The good 
he did survives him; and he has left a noble ex- 
ample to the youth of his country, to encourage 
and to stimulate them in the honourable career of 
virtue and of exertion. 



DwiGHT, Timothy, S. T. D. LL. D. president 
and professor of divinity of Yale college, was born 
at Northampton, in the state of Massachusetts, 
May 4, 1752. At a very early age, he exhibited 
astonishing proofs of intellect, and was admitted 
into the freshman class of Yale college at the age 
of thirteen. 

In 1769, he received the honours of the college, 
under the most promising auspices of future use- 
fulness and celebrity. 

In 1771, he was elected a tutor of Yale, and in 
the following year was admitted to the degree of 



97 

master of arts. In 1776, he married Miss Mary 
Woolsey, daughter of Benjamin Woolsey, Esq. of 
Long Island, and in the following year gave up 
his place as tutor in the college. He then accept- 
ed the appointment of chaplain in the American 
army, in the division commanded by general Put- 
nam. His continuance with the army, however, 
was short, in consequence of the death of his fa- 
ther which happened in 1777. His father leaving 
a numerous family unprovided for, he went to re- 
side with them, discharging at the same time every 
filial and fraternal duty. At this place, Northamp- 
ton, he established an academy, which gained him 
great reputation. At the close of the revolutiona- 
ry war, he was chosen to represent the town of 
Northampton in the state legislature : here he ac- 
quitted himself in a manner highly honourable to 
himself, and so as to give the strongest impres- 
sion of his integrity, and sacred regard to justice. 

About this time he had several flattering offers 
made him from different towns in Massachusetts 
to settle as a clergyman, all of which he saw fit to 
decline. In 1783, he accepted an invitation to set- 
tle as a clergyman in the parish of Greenfield, in 
the town of Fairfield, in Connecticut. Here he 
ably and faithfully dispensed the word of God for 
the space of ten years. At this place, he esta- 
blished an academy for the reception of youth of 
both sexes, which soon gained a reputation, per- 
haps, unparalleled in any similar institution in this 
country. It was indebted for its celebrity to no 
extraneous aid whatever; and rested, for support, 
solely on the talents and exertions of the founder. 

On the death of president Styles, in May, 1795, 
the public attention was immediately turned to- 
wards Dr. Dwight, as his successor. He was ac- 
cordingly elected president of Yale college, and 
inducted into office the September following. 
Very soon the college began to flourish beyond all 
former example, and, perhaps, its reputation was 

13 



98 

never more extensive than at the time of his death. 
At the time he entered on the duties of the presi- 
dency, the office of professor of divinity was va- 
cant ; and as several ineffectual attempts had been 
made to procure a proper incumbent, Dr. Dwight 
engaged to discharge the duties of this office like- 
wise. A few years after, he was regularly elected 
to the divinity chair; which he filled, till his death, 
with unparalleled reputation and success. 

Dr. Dwight continued to discharge the duties of 
his station, both as president and professor of the 
college, to the age of sixty-five, when after a long 
and painful illness, in the accents of fervent prayer, 
he yielded his spirit to God who gave it, on the 
morning of the 8th January, 1817. 

Dr. Dwight was distinguished for a mind formed 
for the highest efforts of intellectual vigour, a clear 
and discriminating judgment — a retentive memo- 
ry — and an imagination strong and active. As a 
man of literature, his information was various and 
extensive, although, from the age of twenty-four, 
on account of the weakness of his eyes, almost 
all his reading was done by the aid of others, and 
almost all his writing by an amanuensis. 

As a preacher, he possessed very uncommon ex- 
cellences : with a person and attitude dignified and 
commanding — a voice deep toned and susceptible 
of every modulation — an elocution clear, flowing, 
and impetuous — he never failed to command the 
most respectful and profound attention. 

Dr. Dwight left prepared for the press, and 
which have since been stereotyped and published 
in this country, as well as Europe, and have al- 
ready gone through many editions : — "A complete 
View of Theoretical and Practical Divinity," five 
volumes, 8vo. No other monument need be made 
to perpetuate his genius and talents, as this work 
has already established his fame. Another work 
of his has also been published, entitled "An His- 
torical, Topographical, and Statistical Account of 



99 

the states of New-England, and of the state of 
New- York ;" containing much valuable information 
of that section of the United States, and must ever 
be esteemed a valuable record for posterity. Dr. 
Dwight published in his lifetime two epic poems, 
viz. "Greenfield Hill," and the "Conquest of Ca- 
naan," besides sermons and other minor pieces. 

Dr. Dwight had the honour of being a member 
of most of the literary and philosophical societies 
in this country. He was likewise honoured with 
the degree of doctor in divinity by the college at 
Princeton, and with the degree of doctor of laws 
by the university of Cambridge. •' 



J 00 



Edwards, Jonathan, DD. president of Prince- 
ton college, New-Jersey, an eminent divine and 
acute metaphysician, was the son of the Reverend 
Timothy Edwards, pastor of the church in Wind- 
sor, Connecticut. He was born October 5, 1703, 
and was graduated at Yale college, in 1720. His 
uncommon genius discovered itself early, and while 
yet a boy, he read Locke on the Understanding with 
a keen relish : moral and theological researches 
afforded him the highest gratification. During two 
years after taking his first degree, he remained at 
college, preparing himself for the ministry. In 
1724, he was appointed a tutor in Yale college, 
and continued in that office for which he was well 
qualified, till 1726 — when he was called to preach 
at Northampton, Massachusetts. Here, he was or- 
dained as colleague with his grandfather, the Rev. 
Mr. Stoddard, February 15, 1727. He continued 
in this place for more than twenty-three years, 
during which time the church was much enlarged. 
Unhappily for the church, in 1744, a difference of 
opinion arose upon the subject *'that none but the 
children of communicants have a right to baptism." 
This subject struck at the root of some immorali- 
ties which had crept in among the members of his 
church, of which it was his design to correct, and 
to bring them to repentance : a secret dislike, 
however, was excited in the minds of many, and it 
was soon blown into a flame. When he settled in 
Northampton, he was not perfectly convinced of 
the correctness of the principle, which was sup- 
ported by his colleague, the Rev. Mr. Stoddard, 
that unconverted persons had a right in the sight 
of God to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. 
After diligent inquiry, he was convinced that the 
principle was erroneous and dangerous. His in- 
vestigations led him to believe, that the supper 



iOl 

was instituted for the true disciples of Jesus Christ ; 
that none but those, who were considered as such, 
should be permitted to partake of it. Considering 
it his duty to vindicate the truth, and in full view 
of consequences that followed, he openly avowed 
his sentiments, cheerfully sacrificing every worldly 
interest to promote the purity of the church, and 
the glory of the Redeemer. The dispute was so 
great, and the contention so warm, that he was 
violently driven away in disgrace from a people, 
who once would almost have plucked out their 
eyes and given them to him. They would listen 
to no explanation whatever. He was dismissed by 
an ecclesiastical council, June 22, 1750. In this 
scene of trouble and abuse, Mr. Edwards exhibit- 
ed the truly christian spirit. His calmness, and 
meekness, and humility, and yet firmness, and re- 
solution, were the subjects of admiration to his 
friends. 

In August, 1751, he was invited to settle in the 
church at Stockbridge, which he accepted. Here 
he continued six years, making himself useful to 
the people, both Indians and the English. In this 
retired situation he found much leisure to prose- 
cute his theological and metaphysical studies, and 
to produce works which have given him a distinc- 
tion among the greatest men of the age, and a 
name honoured throughout Europe. Thus was 
his calamitous removal from Northampton the oc- 
casion, under the wise providence of God, of his 
imparting to the world the most important instruc- 
tions, vi^hose influence has been extending, and 
whose good effects may still be felt for ages. In 
January, 1758, he reluctantly accepted the office 
of president of the college at Princeton, as suc- 
cessor of his son-in-law, the Rev. Mr. Burr. In 
this station, which he adorned by his reputation, 
and where he might have been very useful, if it 
had pleased heaven to have spared his life, he 



102 

continued but a short time. He died March 22, 
1758, in the fifty- fifth year of his age. 

A short time before he died, a few friends who 
had collected around his bed to see him breathe 
his last, were lamenting the loss which the college 
would sustain, he said, to their astonishment, 
"Trust in God, and ye need not fear." After 
which he expired with as much composure, as if 
he had fallen asleep. He was succeeded by the 
Rev. Mr. Davies. 

As a minister, a husband, a father, an author, 
and a scholar, he was greatly distinguished, rever- 
ed, and beloved. His death was universally la- 
mented. Though many differed from him in theolo- 
gical opinions, yet all respected his piety and 
learning. As a preacher, he was pathetic, seri- 
ous, and experimental. 

All his researches he pursued with his pen in 
his hand, and the number of his miscellaneous 
writings which he left behind him, was above four- 
teen hundred. His Essay on the Freedom of theWill 
is considered as one of the greatest efforts of the 
human mind, and gives him a name among the 
greatest metaphysicians. Several professors of 
divinity in the Dutch universities sent him their 
thanks for the assistance he had given them in 
their inquiry into some doctrinal points, having 
carried his own further than any author they had 
ever seen. 

This book is written in opposition " to Armini- 
an principles,'' and the "Pelagian heresy;" and 
has baffled all opposition. His " Treatise upon 
the Affections" is another work of great celebrity. 
A complete collection of his writings has been 
published in eight volumes octavo. 



103 

Edwards, Jonathan, DD. president of Union 
college at Schenectady, New- York, was the son of 
the preceding. He was born at Northampton, Mas- 
sachusetts, June 6, 1745. He was educated at 
Princeton college, and graduated in 1765. After 
studying divinity under the care of Dr. Bellamy, he 
was licensed to preach by the association of minis- 
ters in the county of Litchfield, Connecticut, Octo- 
ber, 1766. In 1767, he was appointed tutor of 
Princeton college. In 1769, he was called to offici- 
ate in the church at White-Haven, and continued 
there till May, 1795, when he was dismissed by an 
ecclesiastical council at his own request, and the 
request of his people. In January, 1796, he was 
installed pastor of the church at Colebrook, in Litch- 
field county. In June, 1799, he was elected presi- 
dent of Union college, in which office he died Au- 
gust 1, 1801. Dr. Edwards was a man of uncom- 
mon powers of mind. He has seldom been surpass- 
ed in acuteness and penetration, and is an author 
of very considerable reputation. His answer to Dr. 
Chauncey, his dissertation on the liberty of the will, 
in reply to Dr. West, and his sermons on the atone- 
ment of Christ, are considered as works of great 
and peculiar merit, and prove him to be a critic and 
a scholar. 

He also edited from the MSS. of his father, the 
history of the work of redemption, two volumes of 
sermons, and two volumes of observations on im- 
portant theological subjects. 



Elliot, John, commonly called the apostle to the 
Indians, exhibited more lively traits of an extraor- 
dinary character than we find in most ages of the 
church, or in most christian churches. He who 
could prefer the American wilderness to the plea- 
sant fields of Europe, was ready to wander through 
this wilderness for the sake of doing good. To be 



104 

active was the delight of his soul ; and he went to 
the hovels which could not keep out the wind and 
the rain, where he laboured incessantly among the 
aboriginals of America, though his popular talents 
gave him a distinction among the first divines of 
Massachusetts. He was born in England in 1604. 
After receiving his education at the university of 
Cambridge, he was for some time the instructer of 
youth. In 1631, he arrived in this country, and in 
the following year was settled as a teacher of the 
church in Roxbury. His benevolent labours were 
not confined to his own people. Having imbibed 
the true spirit of the gospel, his heart was touched 
with the wretched condition of the Indians, and he 
became eagerly desirous of making them acquaint- 
ed with the glad tidings of salvation. There were 
at the time when he began his labours near twenty 
tribes of Indians within the limits of the English 
planters. The Massachusetts language, in which 
he translated the bible and several practical pieces, 
serving the purpose of a missionary ; the first thing 
he did was to learn this language of the people. 
An old Indian, who could speak English, was taken 
into his family, and by conversing freely with him, 
he learnt to talk it, and soon was able to reduce it 
to some method ; and became at last so much mas- 
ter of it, as to publish a grammar which is printed 
in some editions of the Indian bibles. 

In October, 1646, he preached his first sermon to 
an assembly of Indians at Nonantum, the present 
town of Newton. After the sermon was finished, 
he desired them to ask any questions which they 
thought proper. One immediately inquired whether 
Jesus Christ could understand prayers in the Indian 
language \ Another, how all the world became full 
of people if they were all once drowned \ A third 
asked, how there could be the image of God, since 
it was forbidden in the commandment 1 At another 
time when he preached to them, an old man asked 
with tears in his eyes, whether it was not too late for 



105 

iiim to repent and turn unto God? A second, how 
it came to pass, that sea water was salt, and river 
water fresh ; liow the English came to differ so 
much from the Indians in the knowledge of God 
and Jesus Christ, since they all at first had but one 
father; and why, if tlie water is larger than the 
earth, it does not overflow tlie earth? It was his 
custom to spend weeks together to instruct them in 
divine things, and how they could improve their con- 
dition upon the earth. He partook with them their 
hard fare, with locks wet with the deics of the nighty 
and exposed to the attacks from the beasts of the 
forest ; or to their spears and arrows who were 
fiercer than wolves, and more terrible in their howl- 
ings. None of these things moved him ; like a brave 
soldier he fought the good fight of faith, bearing 
every suffering with cheerfulness, and every pain 
with resignation. They often threatened him when 
alone with them in the wilderness with evil, if he 
did not desist from his labours, but he was a man not 
to be shaken in his purpose by the fear of danger. 
He said to them : *' I am about the work of the great 
God, and my God is with me ; so that I neither fear 
you nor all the sachems in the country; and do you 
touch me if you dare." 

In his missionary tours he planted a number of 
churches, and visited all the Indians in Massachu- 
setts and Plymouth colonies, pursuing his way as 
far as Cape Cod. The first Indian church formed 
after the manner of the congregational churches in 
New-England, was established at Natick in 1660. 
Mr. Elliot afterwards administered to them baptism 
and the Lord's supper* He made every exertion to 
promote the welfare of the Indian tribes ; he stimu- 
lated many servants of Jesus to eiigage in the mis- 
sionary work, and lived to see twenty-four aborigi- 
nal fellow-preachers of the gospel of Christ. In 
1661, he published the New Testament in the Indi- 
an language. 

He possessed an influence over the Indians which 

14 



106 

no othei* missionary could obtain. During the war 
with the sachem Philip, 1675, he appears in a cha- 
racter very interesting to the community. He was 
their shield. He plead their cause with great firm- 
ness, and prevented their extermination by an infu- 
riate multitude. 

After living eighty-six years in this world of trial, 
the spirit of this excellent divine took its flight to a 
better world, May 20, 1690. Few of his family w^ere 
alive to lament his death ; but he was lamented by 
the whole family of virtue, and by all the sincere 
friends of religion. Though he lived many years, 
they were filled with usefulness; succeeding gene- 
rations mentioned his name with profound respect ; 
his labours were applauded in Europe and America; 
and all who now contemplate his active services, 
his benevolent zeal, his prudence, his upright con- 
duct, his charity, are ready to declare his memory 
precious. Such a man will be handed down to fu- 
ture times, an object of admiration and love, and 
appear conspicuous in the historic page, when 
distant ages celebrate the worthies of New-Eng- 
land. 

Besides his translation of the Bible into the In- 
dian tongue, he published the "■ Glorious Progress of 
the Gospel Among the Indians, &c." 1649 — " The 
Tears of Repentance," 1653 — "A Farther Account 
of the Gospel Among the Indians," 1659 — " The 
Christian Commonwealth," 1660 — " The Jews in 
America," 1660, intended to prove that the Indians 
were descendents of the Jews — " The Harmonv of 
the Gospels," 1678, &c. 



Ellsworth, Oliver, chief justice of the United 
States, and a distinguished statesman, was born 
at Windsor, Connecticut, April 29, 1745, and was 



107 

graduated at Princeton in 1766. He soon after- 
wards commenced the practice of the law, in 
which profession he attained an acknowledged 
eminence. 

In 1777, he was chosen a delegate to the conti- 
nental congress. In 1780, he was elected a mem- 
ber of the council of his native state, where he re- 
mained till 1784, when he was appointed a judge 
of the superior court. In 1787, he was elected a 
member of the convention which framed the fede- 
ral constitution. In this assembly, illustrious for 
talents, erudition, and patriotism, he held a dis- 
tinguished place. His exertions essentially aided 
in the production of an instrument, which, under 
the divine blessing, has been the main pillar of 
American prosperity and glory. He was afterwards 
appointed a member of the state convention, and 
contributed his efforts towards procuring the rati- 
fication of that instrument. In 1789, when the fe- 
deral government was organized, he was chosen a 
member of the senate. With his accustomed dig- 
nity he filled this elevated station till 1796, when 
he was nominated by president Wasshington, chief 
justice of the supreme court of the United States. 
This office he discharged with great reputation. 
In 1799, he was appointed by president Adams en- 
voy extraordinary to France, for the purpose of ac- 
commodating existing difficulties, and settling a 
treaty with that nation. In conjunction with go- 
vernor Davie and Mr. Murray, his associates, he 
negotiated a treaty, which, though it did not answer 
the just claims and expectations of the American 
public, was undoubtedly the best that could be 
procured. In 1800, he transmitted a resignation 
of his office of chief justice. On his return to his 
native state, his fellow citizens, still desirous to 
enjoy his extraordinary talents, appointed him chief 
justice of the state. This office, however, he de- 
clined, on account of his bad state of health. He 
died November 26, 1807. 



108 

Mr. Ellsworth was an accomplished advocate, 
an upright legislator, an able and impartial judge, 
a wise and incorruptible patriot ; who devoted eve- 
ry faculty, every literary acquisition, and almost 
every hour of his life, to his country's good. 

In private life, he was the model of every social 
and personal virtue. 



Eatu-N, Theophilus, first governor of New-Ha- 
ven colony. He arrived in this country in 1637, 
in company with Mr. Davenport, who was compell- 
ed '^ to seek a refuge from the storm of these cold 
and rude corners of the earth." 

Governor Eaton was one of the most opulent 
men who came into this country. His company pre- 
ferring to be a distinct colony, made a purchase of 
a large territory, and built a town, which is now 
called New-Haven. He was then elected governor, 
which office he held until his death, 1657, in the 
sixty-seventh year of his age. 

" It was the admiration," saith Dr. Mather, " of 
all spectators, to behold the discretion, the gravity, 
and equity, with which he managed all public af- 
fairs. He carried in his countenance a majesty 
which cannot be described; and in his dispensa- 
tions of justice, he was a mirror for the most imi- 
table partiality." 

Dr. Trumbull further observes, " there was no 
man, among the first planters of New-England, 
who had a more general acquaintance with public 
business, or who sustained a fairer character." 
He was one who signed the confederation of the 
United Colonies in 1643. There was none who 
exerted themselves more for the prosperity of 
New-England, or whose name appears more con- 



109 

spicuous on the pages of history of this period. 
His monument was erected at the public expense, 
and is now in good preservation. It has upon it 
the following lines : 

Eaton, so meek, fo fam'd, so just ; 
The Phoenix of our world, here hides his dust— 
This name forget, New-England never must. 



110 



Fulton, Robert, a celebrated civil engineer, was 
born in the town of Little-Britain, in the county of 
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the year 1765. His 
father died when he was only three years of age. 
After receiving an English education, he was placed 
with a jeweller in Lancaster, with the intention of 
acquiring the trade. This pursuit however did not 
prevent him from cultivating and exercising his 
talent for painting, which he afterwards pursued 
with great success. With the advice of his nu- 
merous friends, he made a visit to London, and 
placed himself under the direction of Mr. West : 
he immediately became an inmate of that gentle- 
man's house, and very soon, his companion and 
friend. The friendship thus formed, subsisted una- 
bated until the death of Fulton. 

For some years after leaving the family of Mr. 
West, he employed himself as a painter. He did 
not however feel himself entirely satisfied with his 
progress in the art, and was, at length, wholly with- 
drawn from its further cultivation, by his ruling 
taste for the mechanic arts. 

As early as the year 1793, he brought forward his 
project of propelling boats by steam, with much 
confidence; and in September following, he com- 
municated his ideas on steam navigation to lord 
Stanhope, who acknowledged it by letter, dated 
October, 1794. 

In 1794, the British government granted him 
patents for a double inclined plane, to be used in 
transportation; for a machine for spinning flax; 
and another for making ropes, &c. &c. 

In the year 1796, he submitted to the British 
board of agriculture, a plan for the improvement of 
canal navigation, which was favourably received, 
and for which he received a patent in the year 1797. 



Ill 

He then went to France, with a view to introduce 
it into that country. 

In 1798, pursuing this interesting subject with 
great zeal, he published a series of letters, address- 
ed to earl Stanhope, in which he clearly exhibits 
the advantages to nations arising from canals and 
home improvements generally, simple taxation, and 
free trade. 

On his arrival at Paris, a friendship commenced 
between him and Joel Barlow, which ended only 
with their lives. At the invitation of Barlow, Ful- 
ton took up his residence at the hotel of the former, 
where he continued to remain during seven years. 
In this time he studied the high mathematics, phy- 
sics, chemistry, and perspective. He also acquired 
the French, Italian, and German languages. 

Barlow, about this time, was preparing for the 
press his elegant edition of the Columbiad, which 
he afterwards dedicated in terms of glowing affec- 
tion to Fulton. The splendid plates which adorn 
this work, were executed under the superintendence 
of Fulton. 

In December, 1797, he made his first experiment 
on sub-marine explosion on the river Seine, in com- 
pany with Barlow. 

In December, 1806, he returned to New- York, and 
immediately recommenced his experiments on sub- 
marine war. He also directed his attention to steam 
navigation. 

After several successful experiments, he publish- 
ed, in 1810, his interesting work, entitled, " Torpe- 
do War," which contains a full account and clear 
explanation of his system. 

At the earnest solicitation of the Hon. R. R. Liv- 
ingston, who had pointed out to him the incalcula- 
ble advantages which would arise out of a perfect 
system of steam navigation, had the desired effect 
of arousing the energies of his genius to a subject 
which he had not bestowed much attention upon 
since the year 1793. 



m 

After his return to the United States in 1806, he 
and Mr. Livingston immediately commenced build- 
ing a steam-boat called the " Clermont," which af- 
terwards navigated the Hudson at the rate of five 
miles per hour. From this memorable era in the 
life of Mr. Fulton, the art of navigating by steam 
continued to advance towards perfection, and the 
last boat built under his direction was better than 
any that had preceded it. 

It is but justice to remark in this place, that the 
first idea which had gone abroad of joining the 
western lakes and the Atlantic ocean by canals, ori- 
ginated with Mr. Fulton, and was promulgated by 
him in answer to a letter of the secretary of war in 
1807. He afterwards, in 1808, in reply to several 
queries proposed to him by Mr. Gallatin, then sec- 
retary of the treasury, with regard to public, roads 
and canals, he goes at large into the subject, dis- 
playing a great fund of knowledge and the most en- 
lightened and comprehensive views. 

On the breaking out of the late war he again 
turned his attention to his favourite project of sub- 
marine warfare, and after various successful expe- 
riments, obtained, in 1813, a patent for a " sub-ma- 
rine battery." 

It was from his sub-marine battery that he con- 
ceived the plan of the " steam man of war." 

This invention was readily patronised by govern- 
ment, and in March, 1814, a law was passed to build 
one ; the cost estimated at ^320,000. He was ap- 
pointed the engineer, and in little more than four 
months from the laying of the keel, she was launch- 
ed at New-York under the name of Fulton the first. 
Since her equipment she is allowed to be the most 
formidable engine for warfare that human ingenui- 
ty has^ever contrived. 

The last work on which he was engaged was a 
modification of his sub-marine boat ; her model was 
approved, and he had received the sanction of the 
executive to construct one at New- York, but unfor- 



113 

tunately his country had to lament his death before 
he had completed it. He terminated his valuable 
life on the 24th February, 1815, a martyr to his ef- 
forts in the cause of science. 

Mr. Fulton was about six feet high. His person 
was slender, but well proportioned and well formed. 
His features were strong, and of manly beauty. 

In all his domestic and social relations, he was 
zealous, kind, generous, liberal, and affectionate. 
He knew of no use for money, but as it was subser- 
vient to charity, hospitality, and the sciences. At 
the time of his death he was a member of the prin- 
cipal literary and scientific societies in the United 
States. 



Franklin, Benjamin, LL. D. F. R. S. a cele- 
brated philosopher and statesman, was born in 
Boston, January 17, 1706. At the age of eight 
years he was put to the Boston grammar school, 
and from the aptness which he displayed, his fa- 
ther conceived the idea of educating him for the 
church, but wanting the means, he took him home 
at the age of ten, to assist him in his business. 
At the age of twelve he was put an apprentice to 
his elder brother J. Franklin, who then published 
the Boston Gazette. This paper was the second 
which appeared in America. 

It was, however, the paper called tlie ^'Coii^^ant,''^ 
afterwards emitted by his brother, which became so 
famous for the effusions of his brother Benjamin. 
Young Franklin early evinced an uncommon taste 
for reading, and an attachment to books. His 
writings brought him into notice, and gave him 
encouragement to continue his literary labours. 
When only seventeen years of age, he left his na- 
tive town, and came to Philadelphia, an entire 
stranger, without letters, and with but a slender 
provision of money. He made his entrance on 

15 



114 

Sunday morning, and sauntered through the streets 
in search for lodgings, his pockets stuffed with 
shirts and stockings, and a large roll of bread un- 
der each arm, and eating a third. *' Who would 
have dreamed," exclaims Brissot de Warville in 
his panegyric, "that this miserable wanderer would 
become one of the legislators of America; the or- 
nament of the new world; the pride of modern 
philosophy ; and an ambassador to one of the rich- 
est, most powerful, and enlightened nations of the 
universe f His active mind and habits of industry 
soon procured for him employment as a composi- 
tor in one of the two printing establishments in 
Philadelphia at that time. Sir William Keith, the 
governor, having been informed that Franklin was 
a young man of promising talents, invited him to 
his house, and treated him in the most friendly 
manner. He advised him to enter into business 
for himself, and assured him of his assistance. At 
his request he went to London to complete his 
knowledge of the business, and to purchase a set 
of types. On his arrival there he found himself 
deceived, and was left to find subsistence by his 
own exertions. Undismayed by misfortune and 
disappointment, he obtained employment as a jour- 
neyman printer, and by living economically, he 
saved a greater part of his wages. 

After a residence of eighteen months in Lon- 
don, he returned to Philadelphia, in October, 1726, 
as a clerk to Mr. Denham, a merchant. On the 
death of his friend in the following year, he engag- 
ed with Mr. Keimer, as foreman in his printing- 
office. 

It was not long before a disagreement took 
place with Keimer, whom he left, and entered into 
partnership with Mr. Meredith; but in 1729, he 
dissolved the connexion with him. He then pur- 
chased of Keimer a paper, and by the assistance 
^f friends, was enabled to conduct it in such a 
manner as attracted much attention. In 1730, he 



115 

liiarried a Miss Read. In 1731, he carried int^ 
effect the plan of forming a library, which after- 
wards became the foundation of that noble institu- 
tion the present Library Company of Philadelphia. 
In 1732, he began to publish "Poor Richard's Al- 
manac." Of this work he sold ten thousand annu- 
ally. The wise sayings of Poor Richard have been 
repeated, and copied, and printed in many work*?. 
They have also been translated into many foreign 
languages. As a treatise of public and private 
economy it was considered one of the best extant. 
His paper he published nearly on the same plan, 
enrichinof it with ethical discourses, and careful- 
ly excluding from it " all libelling and personal 
abuse." 

At the age of twenty-seven he acquired the 
French, Italian, and Spanish languages, so as to 
read them with considerable fluency. 

In 1736, he was appointed clerk of the general 
assembly of Pennsylvania, and in the following- 
year postmaster of Philadelphia. 

In 1736, he put into successful operation the 
"American Philosophical Society," and may also 
be considered as the founder of the imiversity of 
Pennsylvania. By his influence and zeal he pro- 
cured a grant from the legislature for the establish- 
ment and endowment of the Pennsylvania hospi- 
tal. And, indeed, such were his patriotic and phi- 
lanthropic exertions, in contributing to the orna- 
ment and benefit of Philadelphia, that his name 
may be cherished as its second founder. In 1747, 
he was chosen a member of the assembly, and 
continued in this station ten years. Here he ex- 
erted all his influence in opposing the proprietary 
claims. Among the writers upon politics, and the 
persons who have acted an important part in the 
revolution of their country. Dr. Franklin has been 
highly esteemed, and conspicuously distinguished. 
At this period he began his electrical experiments, 
which was only the commencement of a more bril- 



116 

liant and successful career. His great discovery 
was the identity of the electric fluid and lightning. 
His splendid experiments were justly admired and 
venerated in all parts of Europe, and in a short 
time they filled the world with his fame. In 1754, 
he was appointed one of the commissioners, who 
attended the congress at Albany, to devise the best 
means of defending the country against the French. 
He drew up a plan which was afterwards adopted 
by congress. 

In 1757, he was sent to England as agent for 
Pennsylvania, and while there, was appointed agent 
of Massachusetts, Maryland, and Georgia. Dur- 
ing his residence abroad, he formed connexions 
with persons of rank and influence. It was now he 
began to receive the reward of his philosophical 
merit. He was eliected with especial honours, a 
member of the Royal Society, and was honoured 
with the degree of doctor of laws by the universi- 
ties of St. Andrew's, Edinburgh and Oxford, and 
his correspondence was sought by the most emi- 
nent philosophers of Europe. 

In 1762, he returned home, and received thanks 
for his services. 

In 1764, he was again sent to London as an agent 
for the province, to procure a change of the pro- 
prietary government. 

In 1766, he was examined at the bar of the house 
of commons, respecting the repeal of the stamp 
act; his conduct on this occasion was firm and 
manly. During the following year he visited Hol- 
land, Germany, and France, and became acquaint- 
ed with most of the literary characters of Europe. 

In 1775, he returned to America, and the day 
after his arrival, he was elected a member of con- 
gress. In this body he laboured with the utmost 
ze.al, to bring about the ever memorable declara- 
tion of independence, to which he afterwards af- 
fixed his name, on the 4th July, 1776. Towards 
the latter end of July, he was chosen president of 



J 17 

the convention which met in Philadelphia, to form 
a new constitution for Pennsylvania. In October 
following, he was sent to France to assist in a ne- 
gotiation in connexion with Mr. Arthur Lee, and 
Silas Deane. He had much influence in forming 
the treaty of alliance and commerce with that na- 
tion^HPebruary 6, 1778. 

In conjunction with Mr. Adams, Mr. Jay, and 
Mr. Laurens, he signed the provisional articles of 
peace, November 30, 1782, and the definitive treatv, 
September 30, 1783. 

In 1785, at his request to retire, congress ap- 
pointed Mr. Jefferson to succeed him as ambassa- 
dor at the court of France. In the interval he ne- 
gotiated and signed two treaties of amity and com- 
merce, one with Sweden, and the other with Prus- 
sia. During his residence in France, he was the 
idol of the literary and political circles of Paris, 
while his genius and talents were held in the high- 
est estimation. On his arrival in this country, he 
was received with universal applause, and the citi- 
zens, in order to express their approbation of his 
invaluable services abroad, immediately appointed 
him president of the supreme executive council. 

In 1787, he was a delegate to the grand conven- 
tion, which framed the constitution of the United 
States. 

In 1788, he retired wholly from public life, in 
consequence of the complication of diseases which 
for a number of years, had laid waste his strength, 
and now entirely prevented him from attending to 
business. For the last twelve months, he was con- 
fined almost entirely to his bed. On approaching 
the confines of another world, he reasoned like a 
philosopher, and often expressed a grateful sense 
of the many blessings received from the Supreme 
Being, who had raised him from his humble origin 
to such consideration among men. 

On the 17th April, 1790, in the eighty- fourth 
year of his age, he departed this life in the city of 



118 

'Philadelphia. Almost to the last moment his men- 
tal faculties remained unimpaired, and with a pious 
resignation he commended his spirit to the will of 
heaven. After his death the posthumous honours 
conferred on his memory and services, were but 
little short of enthusiastic. 

Congress ordered a general mourning for him in 
America for the space of one month. Obsequies 
were solemnized in Paris, and funeral panegyrics 
delivered by order of its municipality. The na- 
tional assembly of France decreed a mourning of 
three days, and addressed a letter of condolence to 
the American congress, in which they style him the 
Nestor of America. 

His works, philosophical, political, and literary, 
have been published in England, France, and Ame- 
rica. 



Floyd, William, one of the signers of the decla-. 
ration of independence, was born on Long-Island, 
New- York, December 17, 1734. 

He received a liberal education, and afterwards 
confined himself to the pursuits of agriculture. At 
an early period he embarked in the controversy 
between Great Britain and the colonies, and as it 
grew more animated, he became more conspicu- 
ous as an advocate of the rights of the people. It 
was doubtless from these considerations that he 
was appointed a delegate from New-York to the 
congress which met at Philadelphia in 1774. 

In 1775, he was re-elected and took his seat in 
the general congress, which met in May, 1776. 
During this interesting and protracted session, he 
was actively and constantly employed on the numer- 
ous and important committees which particularly 
occupied a greater part of the attention of con- 
gress. 

In 1777, he was elected a senator under the new 



119 

constitution of this state. Of this body he was a 
leading- and influential member. 

In 1778-9, he served as a delegate to the gene- 
ral congress; was a member of the board of admi- 
ralty, and of the board of treasury. 

He was annually re-elected to congress until 
1783, when he declined a re-election. 

He was a member of the senate, upon the adop- 
tion of the federal constitution : he was likewise a 
member of the first congress, which met at New- 
York, on the 4th March, 1789. At the close of 
this session, he now retired from public life, to the 
more peaceful shades of domestic retirement. 

Subsequently he served thrice as a presidential 
elector, and once as a senator. On the 1st August, 
1821, he was gathered to his fathers at the advanc- 
ed age of eighty-seven years. 



Fayette, Marquis de la, a major-general in the 
army of the United States. 

The name and character of this illustrious French 
nobleman, will occupy a conspicuous place in our 
biographic annals, and be honoured by posterity no 
less for his enthusiastic love of liberty, than for his 
heroism and military renown. 

In the year 1776, at the immature age of nine- 
teen, he espoused the cause of the Americans, and 
nobly resolved to afford our country all possible as- 
sistance by his personal services and influence. At 
this era, the aflfairs of America were bordering on 
despair, and were represented in France as so de- 
plorable, that it might be supposed sufficient to re- 
press the most determined zeal. Reports were pro- 
pagated in that country, that our army, reduced to 
a mere rabble, was flying before an army of 30,000 
regulars ; nor was this very wide from the reality. 
In consequence of this, our commissioners found it 



120 

impossible to procure a vessel to convey the Mar- 
quis and their own despatches to congress; they 
could not therefore feel justified in encouraging his 
bold contemplated enterprise. This embarrass- 
ment, however, had the effect of increasing, rather 
than of restraining his youthful ardour and heroism. 
He at length imparted to the commissioners his 
determination to purchase and fit out a vessel to 
convey himself and their despatches to America. 
This project was deemed so extraordinary and im- 
portant, that it did not fail to engage universal at- 
tention. The French court had not then declared 
even a friendly intention towards America, but, on 
the contrary, was extremely cautious of giving of- 
fence to the British government. Orders were 
therefore given, prohibiting the departure of this 
nobleman, and vessels were even despatched to the 
West-Indies to intercept him, in case he should 
take that route. The Marquis was well apprized 
that he exposed himself to the loss of his fortune by 
the laws of France ; and that, should he fall into 
the hands of the English, on his passage, he would 
be liable to a confinement of uncertain duration, and 
without a prospect of being exchanged. 

These considerations, however, did not deter him 
from the attempt; and bidding adieu to his amiable 
consort, and numerous endeared connexions, and 
trusting to good fortune to favour his elopement, he 
embarked, and in due time arrived safe in Charles^ 
ton, in the summer of 1776. He landed soon after 
the noble defence made by General Moultrie, at the 
fort on Sullivan's Island. Charmed with the gal- 
lantry displayed by that general and his brave troops, 
the Marquis presented him with clothing, arms, and 
accoutrements, for one hundred men. He met with 
a cordial reception from our congress, and they im- 
mediately accepted his proffered services. He in- 
sisted that he would receive no compensation, and 
that he would commence his services as a volun- 
teer. 



121 

This noble philanthropist was received into the 
family of the commander-in-chief, where a strong 
mutual attachment was contracted, and he has often 
been called the adopted son of Washington. July 
31, 1777, congress resolved, that, "whereas the 
Marquis de la Fayette, out of his great zeal to the 
cause of liberty in which the United States are en- 
gaged, has left his family and connexions, and at 
his own expense come over to ofl'er his services to 
the United States without pension or particular al- 
lowance, and is anxious to risk his life in our cause — 
Resolved, that his service be accepted, and that in 
consideration of his zeal, illustrious family, and con- 
nexions, lie have the rank and commission of major- 
general in the army of the United States." At the 
battle of Brandywine, September 1777, the Mar- 
quis exhibited full proof of his undaunted bravery 
and military character, and received a wound in his 
leg. In May 1778, with a select corps of 2,500 men, 
he crossed the Schuylkill and -took post about 
twelve miles in front of our army at Valley Forge ; 
while at this place the enemy formed a design of 
surprising him, but fortunately the Marquis gained 
intelligence of their api)roach, and by a prompt de- 
cision effected his retreat, and recrossed the river in 
.season to defeat their design. 

In August 1778, the Marquis repaired to Rhode- 
Island to assist in the expedition under General 
Sullivan, in conjunction with the French fleet, and 
he received the particular approbation and applause 
of congress for his judicious and highly important 
services. In January, 1779, the Marquis embark- 
ed at Boston, on a voyage to France. 

He returned again in May, 1780, bringing the 
joyful intelligence that a French fleet and army 
would soon arrive on our coast. 

Through his great zeal for the cause of the Unit- 
ed States, he had exerted his influence with his 
government, no longer fearful of giving offence to 
the Ensrlish, to afford monev and troops, and other 

16 ' 



important succours; . He was soon put at the head 
of a select corps of light infantry for the service of 
the campaign. This afforded him a new opportu- 
nity for the display of his munificence. He pre- 
sented to every officer under his command an ele- 
oant sword, and his soldiers were clothed in uni- 
form principally at his expense. He infused into 
this corps a spirit of pride and emulation, viewing 
it as one formed and modelled according to his own 
wishes, and as deserving his highest confidence. 
They were the pride of his heart, and he the idol 
of their regard; constantly panting for an opportu- 
nity of accomplishing some signal achievement wor- 
thy of his and their character. In December, 1780, he 
marched with 1,200 light infantry for Virginia, to 
counteract the devastations of Arnold and Phillips. 
He made a forced march of 200 miles, and prevent- 
ed General Phillips possessing himself of Rich- 
mond, and secured the stores of that place. At 
one period there was not a single pair of shoes in 
his whole command, and such was his zeal and gen- 
erous spirit, and such the- confidence and respect of 
the people, that he was enabled to borrow of the 
merchants of Baltimore 2,000 guineas on his own 
credit, with which he purchased shoes and other 
necessary articles for his troops. 

He was afterwards employed in watching the mo- 
tions of Lord Cornwallis in Virginia, with an infe- 
rior force ; iii this arduous duty he displayed the 
judgement, skill, and prudence of a veteran, with 
the ardour of youth. 

Lord Cornwallis, having encamped near James- 
town, the Marquis sent General Wayne with the 
Pennsylvania troops, to take their station within a 
small distance of the British army and watch their 
motions. The two advanced parties were soon en- 
gaged, and General Wayne drove that of the enemy 
back to their lines, and without stopping there, at- 
tacked the whole British army drawn up in order of 
battle, and charired them with bavonets. The ac- 



T23 

tion was extremely severe for the little time it last- 
ed, but the disproportion of numbers was so great, 
that the enemy was on the point of surrounding our 
troops, when the Marquis arrived in person just time 
enough to order a retreat, by which they were res- 
cued from their hazardous situation, after suffering 
considerable loss. 

Great encomiums were passed on the Marquis, 
for his humanity and goodness, in visiting and ad- 
ministering to the relief of the wounded soldiers. 

During the siege of lord Cornwallis, at York- 
town, the Marquis was among the most active and 
intrepid of the general officers, and he commanded 
a detachment of our light infantry, which success- 
fully assaulted the British redoubt, on the right of 
our lines. 

During his military career in America, the Mar- 
quis displayed that patriotism, integrity, humanity, 
and every other virtue, which characterize real 
greatness of soul. The most affectionate attach- 
ment subsisted between him and the illustrious 
chief, under whose banners it was his delight to 
serve, and whose language was — " This nobleman 
unites to all the military fire of youth, an uncom- 
mon maturity of judgement." His very soul burned 
with the spirit of enterprise, and he manifested a 
disinterestedness and devotion in the cause of free- 
dom, ever to be admired and applauded by a grate- 
ful people. 

In December, 1784, when the Marquis was about 
to take his final departure from America, congress 
appointed a committee, consisting of one member 
from each state, to receive him, and in the name 
of congress to take leave of him, in such a manner 
as might strongly manifest their esteem and regard 
for him. The Marquis, on this occasion, made a 
very respectful and affectionate reply, and thus con- 
cluded his address : " May this immense temple of 
freedom ever stand as a lesson to oppressors, an 
example to the opi)ressed, a sanctuary for the rights 



U4 

of mankiml : and may these happy United HtateSy 
attain that complete splendour and prosperity, 
which will illustrate the blessings of their govern- 
ment, and for ages to come, rejoice the departed 
souls of its founders. Never can congress oblige 
me so much as when they put it in my power, in 
every part of the world, to the latest day of my life, 
to gratify the attachment which will ever rank me 
among the most zealous and respectful servants of 
the United States." 

In the same year, the university of Cambridge, 
and Princeton college, conferred on him the hono- 
rary degree of doctor of laws. He was also elect- 
ed a member of the American academy of arts and 
sciences, and of the American philosophical soci- 
ety. 

At length, after a lapse of forty years, this illus- 
trious hero has again visited our shores. His recep- 
tion has been splendid beyond description, and lan- 
guage fails to represent the spontaneous burst of 
feeling it has created. History presents no parallel. 
From one extremity of this great republic to the 
other, every pen is occupied in spreading his fame ; 
every tongue is pronouncing his eulogies, and the 
whole collected mass of citizens is endeavouring to 
render him that homage he so justly merits. 

Hail to the hero !— shout millions of voices, 
Enjoying the freedom secured by his toil ; 
Hail to the hero ! — a nation rejoices 
To welcome its guest, returned to its soil. 



125 



Greene, Nathaniel, a major-general in the Ame- 
rican army, was born at Warwick, Rhode-Island, 
about the year 1740. He was particularly distin- 
guished for his attainments in mathematics and 
natural philosophy, and at an early period of life 
was called to a seat in the legislature of his native 
state. Being thus introduced into the councils of 
his country, at a time, when the rights of the sub- 
ject, and the powers of the ruler, were beginning to 
130 topics of liberal discussion, he did not hesitate 
openly to avow his sentiments, and oppose all ty- 
rannical proceedings on the part of parliament. 
His character however was not fully developed un- 
til the commencement of the troubles which ter- 
minated in our independence. 

It was then, his noble spirit aspired to lead in 
the public councils, as well as in the field. 

At the commencement of hostilities, he was ap- 
pointed to the command of three regiments of mi- 
litia, with the rank of brigadier^general, and at the 
head of which, he marched to Cambridge. 

On the arrival of the commander-in-chief, at 
head-quarters, he availed himself of an early oppor- 
tunity, to express his attachment and satisfaction 
in his appointment. This incident was the happy 
prelude to a friendship between these two great 
and illustrious officers, which death alone had the 
power to dissolve. No sooner did the commander- 
in-chief become thoroughly acquainted with his 
character and merits, the ardour of his patriotism, 
the integrity of his heart, his profound judgment 
and sagacity in council, and the firmness and gal- 
lantry of his spirit in the field, than he regularly 
consulted him, in difierent emergencies, and receiv- 
ed his opinions with uncommon deference. 

And as an honourable testimonial of his estima- 



126 

lion and confidence of his capacity and worth, the 
commander-in-chief frequently expressed an anx- 
ious wish, that in case of his death, or disability, 
he might be appointed his successor, in the su- 
preme command. 

In August, 1776, he was promoted by congress 
to the rank of major-general in the regular army. 

In the battles of Trenton and Brandywine, as 
well as in that of Princeton, January 2, 1777, he 
bore a very distinguished part. 

In the battle of Germantown, on the fourth of 
October, he had the honour to command the left 
wing of the army. 

In 1778, he was appointed quarter-master-gene- 
ral, which he reluctantly accepted, on condition 
that his rank should not be affected, and that he 
should retain his command in time of action. In 
June following, he commanded the right wing of 
the army in the battle of Monmouth, and for his 
gallantry and good conduct, received the thanks 
of congress. On the twenty-ninth of August, he 
exhibited great military skill, in drawing off the 
American army from Rhode-Island, after the French 
fleet had left the harbour. Towards the close of 
the year 1779, he resigned the office of quarter- 
master-general, and was succeeded by colonel 
Pickering. In those scenes, through which we 
have traced his military career, he acted only in a 
subordinate capacity. We are now to behold him 
in the supreme command of the southern section of 
the United States. The theatre of war, on which 
he is now to exhibit himself, is in extent, commen- 
surate with abilities of the widest compass : and 
the difficulties and dangers he is destined to en- 
counter, are sufficiently formidable to test the for- 
titude and firmness of the most unyielding spirit, 
and give ample employment to all the resources 
of talents and skill. Rarely has a leader of armies, 
in any country, been placed in a situation so fear- 



127 

fully calculated to measure the genius, and try the 
soul. 

Greatly to acquit himself under such circum- 
stances, he must rank with the ablest captains on 
the brightest page of military annals. With a few 
rare and brilliant exceptions, the war, from its first 
commencement, in the south, had been in that 
quarter, but little else than a series of disasters to 
the arms of freedom. On the 3d December, 1780, 
he superseded general Gates, in the command of 
the southern army, under the most discouraging 
appearances. 

The army, consisting mostly of militia, amounted 
to less than two thousand men. He found them 
without arms, clothing, or ammunition, and but 
three day's provisions. In front, was an enemy, 
proud in victory, and too strong to be encountered ; 
around, and in his rear, a country exhausted, dis- 
pirited, and in many parts, disaffected. With such 
means and under such circumstances, to recover 
two states already conquered, and protect a third 
very seriously menaced, constituted a task almost 
hopeless. The kind of warfare that alone was 
suited to these purposes, was of the most perplex- 
ing and arduous character ; and to conduct it suc- 
cessfully, called for consummate and diversified 
abilities. With Washington in his eye, and his 
own genius to devise his measures, he resolved on 
cautious movements, and protracted war. Having 
recruited the army, and organized its officers, he 
sent out a detachment under the brave general 
Morgan, who gained the important victory at the 
Cowpens, January 17, 1781. This battle gave a 
new turn to affairs in the south, and augured fa- 
vourably of his future career. It led to one of the 
most arduous, ably conducted, and memorable ope- 
rations, that occurred in the revolutionary war — the 
retreat of Greene, and the pursuit of lord Corn- 
wallis, during the inclemencies of winter, from 



128 

the Catawba to the Dan, a distance of two hundred 
and thirty miles. 

On the part of the American commander, that 
retreat, with liis advance, manoeuvres, and action 
at Guilford court-house, which soon afterwards fol- 
lowed, may be safely pronounced, with the excep- 
tion of the retreat of the ten thousand Greeks, a 
succession of as masterly movements, as are re- 
corded in the page of military history. For any 
but a genius of the highest order, and a soul of the 
firmest texture, to have planned and achieved such 
a scheme of operations, under the most formidable 
difficulties, would have been impossible. Lord 
Cornwallis, although deeply chagrined at being 
surpassed in generalship by Greene, felicitated 
himself on the acquisition of another state annexed 
to the British empire. Uneasy and restless, in a 
state of quietude, while the interests of his country 
called for action, Greene, having received an ac- 
cession of troops, recrossed the Dan with his army 
on the tenth day after his celebrated retreat, and 
sought the enemy at Guilford court-house. After 
one of the most obstinate and sanguinary engage- 
ments that is recorded in our revolutionary annals, 
the Americans were obliged to retire. Not doubt- 
ing that lord Cornwallis would follow him, he re- 
treated slowly and in good order, and at a distance 
of a few miles from the scene of action, took a po- 
sition, determined to renew the contest on the ar- 
rival of the enemy. 

But his lordship declined a pursuit, or even 
maintaining his ground. In a few days he com- 
menced a retreat into Virginia, leaving behind him 
his wounded, to the humanity and care of the Ame- 
rican chief. 

The American commander immediately pursued 
the enemy, who were several days in advance, on 
his route to Wilmington. Altering his plan, he 
resolved to abandon the pursuit of the British, and 



129 

recommence oft'ensive operations in {;50uth Caro- 
lina. He accordingly broke up his encampment 
at Ramsay's mill, and moved towards the south. 
Post after post was evacuated, or fell before him, 
in quick succession, until, on the eighth of Sep- 
tember, 1781, he achieved the memorable victory 
at Eutaw springs, which drove the enemy from the 
other parts of the state, to shelter and defend them- 
selves within the lines of Charleston. Thus in less 
than five months after entering South Carolina, he 
became master of every part of it, except the capi- 
tal and its immediate vicinity. 

This train of brilliant successes, so far beyond 
what his force and equipment seemed to promise, 
procured for him, from the chevalier Luzerne, a 
compliment as lofty as was ever paid to the com- 
mander of an army. '' Other generals," says he, 
" subdue their enemy by the means with which 
their country or their sovereign furnishes them. 
But general Greene appears to subdue his enemy 
by his own means. He commenced his campaign 
without either an army, provisions, or military 
stores. He has asked for nothing since, and yet 
scarcely a post arrives from the south, that does 
not bring intelligence of some new advantage he 
has gained over the foe. He conquers by magic. 
History furnishes no parallel to this." 

Congress, in consideration of his wise, decisive, 
and magnanimous conduct in the battle at Eutaw 
springe, presented him a gold medal, emblematical 
of his success, and a British standard. This en- 
gagement may be considered as closing the war 
in South Carolina. 

On the fourteenth of December, 1782, Charles- 
ton was evacuated by the British, when Greene, at 
the head of his gallant and victorious troops, en- 
tered the city amidst the acclamations of thousands. 

He now became the object of undivided regard. 
From every quarter he received congratulatory ad- 
dresses, and was regarded as one whose wisdom 

17 



130 

and valour had stayed the desolating sword of wai> 
rescued them from the sceptre of military despo- 
tism, and given them, in prospect, a certainty of 
freedom, independence, and peace. 

In the midst of this prodigality of admiration 
and honour, never did man deport himself more 
meekly. He retired from ' the blaze of public dis- 
tinction, appearing unconscious of the merit which 
attracted it. 

Peace being at length restored, and his country 
no longer in need of his services, he, without wait- 
ing for the disbanding of the army, which was pro- 
vided for by congress, withdrew from the south, 
and returned to the bosom of his native state. The 
reception which he there experienced, was cordial 
and joyous. 

His residence in Rhode-Island was short. But 
during the continuance of it, and before his arrival, 
the state was distracted by dissentions of the most 
dangerous nature. His prompt interposition to 
restore harmony, was, however, attended with com- 
plete success. 

Having spent about two years in his native state, 
he returned to Georgia in October, 1785, and set- 
tled with his family, on his estate near Savannah, 
which had been granted to him by the legislature 
of that state as a reward for his public services. 

Engaging, here, in agricultural pursuits, he bid 
fair of becoming as eminent in the practice of the 
peaceful virtues, as he had already shown himself 
in the occupations of war. 

But it was the will of heaven, that in this new 
sphere of action, his course should be limited. 
Walking over his grounds, on the afternoon of the 
15th of June, 1786, the day being intensely hot, he 
was suddenly attacked with stupor and delirium, 
which put a period to his brilliant career on the 
morning of the 19th. 

Congress on the 12th August of the same year, 
voted a monument to be erected to his memory at 



131 

the seat of government, with the following inscrip- 
tion : 

to the memory of 
The Honourable NATHANIEL GREENE, 

who departed this life, 

the nineteenth of June, 1786; 

Late Major General in the service of the United 

States, and Commander of their Army in the 

Southern Department. 

The United States, in Congress assembled, 

in honour of his 

Patriotism, valour, and ability, have erected this 

monument. 

General Greene possessed a mind of masculine 
strength and texture. Sound, penetrating, and ca- 
pacious, rather than brilliant; judgment and saga- 
•city were its predominating features. In his per- 
ceptions he was quick and clear, ready in his com- 
binations, forcible in his reasonings, and prompt in 
his decisions. His acquaintance with human na- 
ture, derived from history and an intercourse with 
man, was extensive and profound ; and, in his ap- 
prehension of the tendency of principles, no man 
committed fewer mistakes. 

For the zeal and sedulity with which he pursued 
knowledge, at every period of life, he had no equal, 
among officers of rank, in the American army. 

His portable library consisted of Hume, Locke, 
Shakspear, Milton, Horace, and otliers of the an- 
cient classics, which he read familiarly, and were 
his constant companions ; nor did he ever retire to 
rest without spending an hour or two in reading. 

On the score of morality, he was unimpeachable. 
Roman virtue, in the best days of the republic, was 
never more unsullied and inflexible than his. Of 
him it was as true as of the elder Pitt, that '' mo- 
dern corruption had not touched l)im." 



1^2 

111 conversation he was fluent and instructive, al- 
ways lively, and sometimes playful. His favourite 
topics were political economy, and the principles 
of government. On these subjects, his views, 
which were always liberal, had, by reading and re- 
flection, been rendered profound. And in all pro- 
bability, had his life been prolonged until the organ- 
ization of the federal government, Washington 
would have called him to fill a seat in his cabinet. 



GvviN.xETT, Button, one of the signers of the 
declaration of independence, was born in England, 
about the year 1732. He married in England, and 
in 1770, emigrated to America. In 1772, he set- 
tled in Georgia, where he devoted his whole atten- 
tion to agriculture. 

At the commencement of the revolution, he took 
an active part in the struggles of his adopted coun- 
try. 

By his zeal and ardour, he became eminently 
conspicuous, and rose with rapidity to the highest 
dignity in the province. 

In February, 1776, he was appointed a delegate 
to the general congress which met at Philadel- 
phia. 

On the 4th July, he w^as one of those patriots, 
who signed the declaration of independence. 

In February, 1777, he was elected one of the 
members of the convention, to frame a constitu- 
tion for his state. On the death of Mr. Bullock, 
he was appointed to fill the presidency of the pro- 
vincial council. 

Mr. Gwinnett, naturally ambitious, experienced 
a mortifying disappointment, in not being elected 
first governor under the new constitution, together 
with a combination of circumstances of a personal 
nature, finally led him to challenge general Mcln- 



oo 

tosh to a duel, from whom he received a wound, 
which proved mortal, and expired on the 27th May, 
1777, in the forty-fifth year of his age. 

Although the political career of Mr. Gwinnett 
was short, and its termination afflicting, his memo- 
ry, stamped as it is upon the charter of our inde- 
pendence, must be coeval with the duration of the 
American republic. 



Gates, Horatio, a major-general in the army of 
the United States, was born about the year 1728. 

In early life he entered the British army, and laid 
the foundation of his future military excellence. 
He was with Braddock, and a companion in arms 
with Washington, at the defeat of his army, in 
1755. 

When peace was concluded, he purchased an 
estate in Virginia, where he resided until the com- 
mencement of the American war, in 1775, when 
he was appointed by congress, at the recommen- 
dation of general Washington, adjutant-general, 
with the rank of brigadier-general. 

From this period he took a very active part in 
most of the transactions of the war, and his abili- 
ties and good fortune placed him in a rank inferior 
only to the commander-in-chief, and above any 
other general. 

In July, 1775, he accompanied Washington to 
Cambridge, when he went to take command of the 
army in that place. 

In June, 1776, he was appointed to the com- 
mand of the army of Canada. He was supersed- 
ed by general Schuyler in May, 1777; but in August 
following, he took the place of this officer in the 
northern department. The success, which attend- 
ed his arms in the capture of Burgoyne, in Octo- 
ber, filled America with joy. This event may bo 



134 

considered as deciding the war of the revolution, 
as from that period, the British cause began ra- 
pidly to decline. Congress passed a vote of thank^> 
and ordered a medal of gold to be presented by 
the president. After general Lincoln was taken 
prisoner, he was appointed on the 13th of June, 
1780, to the command of the southern department. 
On the 16th of August, he was defeated by Corn- 
wallis, at Camden. He was superseded on the 3d 
of December by general Greene, but was, in 1782, 
restored to his command. 

After the peace he retired to his farm, in Berke- 
ly county, Virginia, where he remained until the 
year 1790, when he went to reside at New- York, 
having first emancipated his slaves, and made such 
pecuniary provision for such as were not able to 
provide for themselves. On his arrival at New- 
York, the freedom of the city was presented to 
him. 

In 1800, he accepted a seat in the legislature, 
but he retained it no longer than he" conceived his 
services might be useful to the cause of liberty, 
which he never abandoned. He died, April 10, 
1806, in the seventy-eighth year of his age. He 
was a scholar, well versed in history and the Latin 
classics. 



GoRHAM, Nathaniel, one of the signers of the 
federal constitution, was born in Charlestown, Mas- 
sachusetts, May 27, 1738. He received an excel- 
lent education, and possessing uncommon talents, 
he always appeared to advantage in company with 
literary men. He settled in business at the place 
of his nativity, but being a constant, fearless, and 
independent lover of freedom, seemed to be form- 
ed more for public life than to succeed in mercan- 
tile pursuits. 



135 

He was chosen representative for Charlestowrt, 
in 1771, and every year till the commencement of 
the revolutionary war. He was a very assiduous 
attendant on the house of representatives, and w^as 
a leader in all their debates. 

In 1779, he was elected a delegate of the con- 
vention which formed the constitution of his native 
state. 

In 1784, he was chosen a member of the con- 
gress of the United States, and soon after, elected 
president of that honourable body. 

In 1787, he was a member of the grand conven- 
tion which formed the federal constitution. In 
this august body, he sustained a high reputation 
for his knowledge and integrity. He stood high 
with all parties for his wisdom and prudence, and 
eloquence in debate. 

He was on this account one of the most influen- 
tial members of the state convention, which adopt- 
ed it. He died, June 11, 1796. 



Gage, Thomas, the last governor of Massachu- 
setts appointed by the king, was the brother of 
Lord Viscount Gage. He came to America as 
lieutenant-colonel of Braddock's army, and when 
that unfortunate general was wounded, he, with 
another oflicer, carried him off the field. 

In 1760, after the conquest of Canada by his ma- 
jesty's forces, he w^as appointed governor. 

In 1763, on the departure of general Amherst, 
he succeeded him as commander-in-chief of his 
majesty's forces in America. 

In 1774, he was appointed to succeed Hutchin- 
son in the government of Massachusetts, and to 
command the troops quartered in the province, to 
force the people into a compliance Avith the uncon- 
stitutional and oppressive acts of parliament. On 



1136 

his arrival in Boston, he immediately sent several 
detachments into various parts of the country to 
repair the fortifications, seize the powder and other 
military stores in Charlestown, Salem, Concord, 
and Lexington : at the latter place was kindled the 
spark, which terminated in the independence of 
America. 

In May, 1775, the provincial congress of Massa- 
chusetts declared general Gage, to be an inveterate 
enemy of the country, disqualified for serving the 
colony as governor, and unworthy of obedience. 
From this time the exercise of his functions were 
confined to Boston. 

In June, 1775, he proclaimed Massachusetts to be 
in rebellion, and oflfered pardon to all the rebels, ex- 
cepting Samuel Adams and John Hancock, whom 
he proscribed. 

Under his orders Bunker-hill battle was fought, 
and Charlestown burnt. Having obtained leave to 
depart from America, he embarked for England, 
October following, and was succeeded in the com- 
mand by Sir WiUiam Howe. He died in England, 
April 4, 1787. 



w: 



Henry, Patrick, a distinguished patriot and 
statesman, was born at the seat of his ancestors, 
Hanover county, Virginia, May 29, 1736. After 
making some proficiency in mathematics and the 
languages, he was placed with a country merchant, 
and at the age of eighteen commenced business on 
his own account. 

His genius, however, like Shakspeare's, moulded 
for a nobler and more exalted sphere of action, and 
destined to guide the councils of a great republic, 
abandoned the drudgery of the counter, and at the 
age of four-and-twenty, commenced the study of 
the law. 

In a very short time, he was qualified, and com- 
menced the practice of his profession. It was not, 
however, till the year 1763, that his genius burst 
her fetters and brought into action for the first time, 
the powers of his eloquence, for which he after- 
wards became celebrated. 

In 1764, a year memorable for the origination 
of that great question, which led finally to the in- 
dependence of the United States, it is asserted, 
on the authority of president Jefferson, that " he 
gave the first impulse to the ball of the revolu- 
tion." 

In the following year, 1765, he introduced his 
celebrated resolutions against the scheme of tax- 
ing America, which passed the house of burgesses 
in May following. 

^'They formed," says Mr. Henry, ''the first op- 
position to the stamp act, and the scheme of tax- 
ing America by the British parliament. All the 
colonies, either through fear, or want of opportuni- 
ty to form an opposition, or from influence of some 
kind or other, had remained silent. I had been for 
the first time elected a burges;^. a few davs before, 

18 



138 

was young, inexperienced, unacquainted with tlie 
forms of the house, and the members that compos- 
ed it. Finding the men of weight averse to oppo- 
sition, and the commencement of the tax at hand, 
and tliat no person was likely to step forth, I de- 
termined to venture, and alone, unadvised, and un- 
assisted, on a blank leaf of an old law book, wrote 
the within (resolutions.) Upon offering them to the 
house, violent debates ensued. Many threats were 
uttered, and much abuse cast on me, by the party 
for submission. After a long and warm contest, 
the resolutions passed by a small majority, perhaps 
of one or two only. The alarm spread throughout 
America with astonishing quickness, and the minis- 
terial party were overwhelmed. 

"The great point of resistance to British taxa- 
tion was universally established in the colonies. 
This brought on the war which finally separated 
the two countries, and gave independence to ours." 

From this period he became the idol of the peo- 
ple of Virginia; nor was his name confined to his 
native state. His light and heat were seen and felt 
throughout the continent ; and he was every where 
regarded as the great champion of colonial liberty. 
The impulse thus given by Virginia, was caught by 
the other colonies. His resolutions were every 
where adopted, with progressive variations. 

The spirit of resistance became bolder and 
bolder, until the whole continent was in a flame ; 
and by the first of November, when the stamp act 
was, according to its provisions, to have taken 
effect, its execution had become utterly impracti- 
cable. 

The house of burgesses of Virginia, which had 
led the opposition to the stamp act, kept their high 
ground during the whole of the contest, and he 
continued a member of the public councils till the 
close of the revolution : and there could be no 
want of boldness in any body, of which he was a 
member. 



1;39 

The elements of his character were most happi- 
ly mingled for the great struggle which was now 
coming on. His views were not less steady than 
they were bold. His vision pierced deeply into 
futurity ; 'and long before a whisper of indepen- 
dence had been lieard in this land, he had looked 
through the whole of the approaching contest, and 
saw witli the eye and the rapture of a prophet, 
his country seated aloft amonj? the nations of the 
earth. 

In 1774, he was elected one of the deputies from 
Virginia to the first congress which met at the Car- 
penters' Hall, in the city of Philadelphia, on the 4th 
of September following. The most eminent men 
of the various colonies were now, for the first time, 
brought together. The meeting was awfully so- 
lemn. The object which had called them together 
was of incalculable magnitude. The liberties of 
no less than three millions of people, with all of 
their posterity, were staked on the wisdom and 
energy of tlieir councils. No wonder, then, at the 
long and deep silence which is said to have fol- 
lowed upon their organization ; at the anxiety with 
which the members looked around upon each other ; 
and the reluctance which every individual felt to 
open a business so fearfully momentous. In the 
midst of this deep and death-like silence, and just- 
when it was beginning to become painfully embar- 
rassing, Mr. Henry arose slowly, as if borne down 
by the weight of the subject. After a most im- 
pressive exordium, he launched, gradually, into a 
recital of the colonial wrongs. Rising, as he ad- 
vanced, with the grandeur of his subject, and glow- 
ing at length with all the majesty and expectation 
of the occasion, his speech seemed more than that 
of mortal man. 

Even those who had heard him in all his glory, 
in the house of burgesses of Virginia, were asto- 
nished at the manner in which his talents seemed 
to swell and expand themselves, to fill the vaster 



theatre in whicli he wub now placed. At lengtii. 
Jic cloged his eloquent harangue, and sat down 
amidst murmurs of astonishment and applause ; 
and as he had been before proclaimed the greatest 
orator of Virginia, he was now on every hand, ad- 
mitted to be the first orator of America. 

In October, he returned home, and was elected 
in March, 177.5, a member of the convention which 
assembled for a second time at Richmond, to con- 
sult the welfare of the colony. In this body, in 
his usual style of eloquence, he urged the necessity 
of embodying, arming, and disciplining the militia, 
and notwithstanding his resolutions were opposed, 
and resisted by the influence of some of the ablest 
men and patriots of the convention, he urged them 
the more, and exclaimed, "There is no longer 
any room for hope. If we wish to be free — if we 
mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable pri- 
vileges for which \ye have been so long contend- 
ing — if wc mean not basely to abandon the noble 
struggle in which we have been so long engaged, 
and which we have pledged ourselves never to 
abandon, until the glorious object of our contest 
shall be obtained — we must fight ! — I repeat it, 
sirs, we must fight ! ! An appeal to arms and to 
the God of hosts, is all that is left us ! — Gentlemen 
may cry, peace, peace — but there is no peace. The 
war is actually begun ! the next gale that sweeps 
from the north will bring to our ears the clash of 
resounding arms ! Our brethren are already in the 
field ! why stand we here idle \ What is it that 
gentlemen wish I What would they have ] Is life 
so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at 
the price of chains and slavery 1 Forbid it. Almigh- 
ty God! — I know not what course others may take; 
but as for me," cried he, with both arms extended 
aloft, his brows knit, every feature marked with 
the resolute purpose of his soul, and his voice 
swelled to its boldest note of exclamation — " give 
me liberty, of give me death!" 



141 

He took liis seat. No murmur oi" applause wan 
heard. The effect was too deep. After the trance 
of a moment, several members started from their 
seats. The cry, "to arms," seemed to quiver on 
every lip, and gleam from every eye ! They be- 
came impatient of speech — their souls were on fire 
for action. The resolutions were adopted. 

The storm of the revolution now began to thicken. 
The cloud of war had actually burst on the New- 
England states. The colonial governors concert- 
ed measures to disarm the people, and to deprive 
them of gun-powder. An attempt was accordingly- 
made to seize at the same moment the powder and 
arms in the several provincial magazines. Gover- 
nor Gage first set the example, and was followed 
by similar attempts in other colonies to the north. 

In turn, governor Dunmore followed, and remov- 
ed the powder from the magazine at Williamsburg. 
This act excited universal indignation. In the mean 
time Mr. Henry assembled the independent com- 
panies of Hanover and King William counties, and 
marched at their head towards Williamsburg, with 
the avowed design of obtaining payment for the 
powder, or of compelling its restitution. The ob- 
ject he effected. Thus the same man, whose ge- 
nius had, in the year 1765, given the first political 
impulse to the revolution, had now the additional 
honour of heading the first military movement in 
Virginia, in support of the same cause. The gover- 
nor immediately fortified his palace, and issued a 
proclamation, charging those who had procured 
payment for the powder, with rebellious practices. 
This only occasioned a number of county meet- 
ings, which applauded the conduct of Mr. Henry, 
and expressed a determination to protect him. 

In August, 1775, when a new choice of deputies 
to congress was made, he was not re-elected, for 
his services were now demanded more exclusively 
in his own state. After the departure of Lord 
Dunmore, he was chosen the first governor in 



142 

June, 1776, and held this office several succeeding 
years, bending all his exertions to promote the 
freedom and independence of his country. 

In 1787, he was appointed one of the deputies to 
meet the grand convention to be held at Philadel- 
phia, for the purpose of revising the federal con- 
stitution; the same cause, however, which had con- 
►strained his retirement from the executive chair, 
disabled him now from obeying the calls of his 
country. 

Of the convention, however, which was to decide 
the fate of this instrument in Virginia, he was cho- 
sen a member. 

The convention met in Richmond, on the 2nd 
June, 1788, and exhibited such an array of varie- 
gated talents, as had never before been collected to 
one focus in that state. 

In this highly respectable body, he, day after 
day, exerted the powers of his masterly eloquence 
to prevent its adoption. Though experience has 
proven, that he was erroneous in his judgment on 
this occasion, it is nevertheless due to him to state, 
that he contributed several valuable amendments 
to the Magna Cliarta of our representative govern- 
ment and national glory. 

He continued the practice of the law until the 
year 1794, when he bade a final adieu to his pro- 
fession, and retired to the bosom of his family. 
He retired loaded with honours, public and pro- 
fessional ; and carried with him the admiration, the 
gratitude, the confidence, and the love of his coun- 
try. 

No man had ever passed through so long a life 
of public service, with a reputation more perfectly 
unspotted. 

In 1796, he was again called to the gubernato- 
rial chair, but this office he almost immediately re- 
signed. 

In the year 1797, his health bea^an to decline, and 



14^ 

continued to sink gradually to the moment of hiy 
death. 

In 1799, he was appointed by president Adams 
envoy to France. This honour he declined, on 
account of his advanced age and increasing debili- 
ty. He lived but a short time after this testimony 
of respect, in which his talents and patriotism were 
held, for he died at Red-hill, Charlotte county, June 
6, 1799. 

Thus lived, and thus died, the celebrated Patrick 
Henry of Virginia; a man who justly deserves to be 
ranked among the highest ornaments, and noblest 
benefactors of his country. Had his lot been cast 
in the republics of Greece or Rome, his name would 
have been enrolled by some immortal pen among 
the expeliers of tyrants and the champions of liber- 
ty: the proudest monuments of national gratitude 
would have risen to his honour, and handed down 
his memory to future generations. 



Hamilton, Alexander, a distinguished states- 
man, and first secretary of the treasury of the Unit- 
ed States, was born at St. Croix in the year 1757. 
At the age of sixteen he accompanied his mother to 
New- York, and entered a student of Columbia col- 
lege, in which he continued about three years. It 
was here his intellect first gave presages of his fu- 
ture eminence. The contest with Great-Britain 
having grown serious and alarming, it called forth 
the ablest writers of the day on both sides of the 
question. At the age of only seventeen he became 
an advocate of the colonies, young as he was; yet 
such were the wisdom and compass of his views, 
and the manly vigour and maturity of his style, that 
his productions were attributed to the pen of Mr., 
Jay, who was then in the meridian of his illustrious 
life. On the breaking out of the revolution, he 



144 

could no longer repose in college shades while his 
country was in danger ; he accordingly, when in his 
nineteenth year, entered the American army with 
the rank of captain of artillery, and in that capacity 
distinguished himself on several occasions. 

It was not long before his higher qualities attract- 
ed the notice of Washington, who, in 1777, selected 
him as an aid with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. 
From this period till 1781, Washington and Hamil- 
ton were inseparable companions both in the cabi- 
net and the field. Never was an aid more perfect!}^ 
the friend and confidant of his commander, nor a 
general more ably subserved by an aid. They shar- 
ed together the dangers and hardships of that tr}- 
ing period, with a firmness and fortitude that were 
never surpassed, and by their bravery and united 
wisdom, were instrumental beyond all others in con- 
ducting the arms of their country to victory and glo- 
ry. Hamilton served as first aid to-Washington in 
the battle of Brandywane, Germantown, and Mon- 
mouth. At the siege of Yorktown, he led at his own 
request the American detachment that carried by 
assault one of the enemy's outw^orks, on which occa- 
sion his valour was daring and chivalrous. Soon 
after the capture of Cornwallis he sheathed his 
sword, and having a family depending for its sub- 
sistence on his personal exertions, at the age of 
twenty-five, applied himself to the study of the 
law. 

In 1782, he was elected a member of congress 
from the state of New-York, and was distinguished 
as a leader in all the most important measures of 
the session. 

He was several times chairman of those commit- 
tees to which w^as confided the high and difficult 
trust of reporting on such subjects as were deemed 
most vitally interesting to the nation.. The reports 
prepared on these occasions are remarkable for 
that eloquence, energy, and luminous wisdom. 



145 

which characterize so strongly all the subsequent 
productions of his pen. 

Having ably acquitted himself of his duty to his 
country, he again resumed the practice of the law, 
in which profession he soon rose to distinction. 

In the year 1784, he published in favour of the 
loyalists two celebrated pamphlets under the sig- 
nature of Phocion — which must always be regard- 
ed as master pieces of analysis and profound in- 
vestigation. 

In 1787, he was a member of the general con- 
vention which met at Philadelphia, whose delibe- 
rations resulted in the federal constitution. 

The conjuncture was awfully portentous, and 
threatening. The issue of the late war, in its rela- 
tion to the permanent welfare of the country, had 
become problematical: and the only alternatives 
presented were the institution of a more steady 
and vigorous form of government, or a speedy dis- 
solution of the confederation of the states. Over 
either event, serious evils were thought to impend. 
The responsibilities imposed on the convention 
were weighty and solemn. Colonel Hamilton, 
whose spirit delighted in difficulties, now took a 
prompt and splendid lead in all such measures as 
policy appeared to direct. His pen as well as his 
tongue became an organ of wisdom, and an instru- 
ment of eloquence, which excited the admiration 
and applause of his cotemporaries, and will transmit 
his fame with unfading lustre to the latest poste- 

After the publication ot the constitution, he, con- 
jointly with Mr. Madison and Mr. Jay, commenced 
the Federalist, a work which is justly ranked with 
the foremost productions in political literature. 
Besides being the most enlightened, profound, and 
practicable disquisition on the principles of a fe- 
deral representative government that has ever ap- 
peared, it is a luminous and elegant commentary 
on the republican establishments of our own coun- 

19 



14G 

try. It was published in the years 1787 and 1788, 
in a series of essays, addressed to the citizens of 
New-York, and had a powerful influence both in 
that and other states, in procuring the adoption of 
the federal constitution. The style is as perspicu- 
ous, eloquent, and forcible, as the matter is perti- 
nent, and the arguments convincing — and have all 
the richness, elegance, and ease of the Spectator. 
He wrote the whole of the work, except Nos. 2, 3,' 
4, and 5, which are from the pen of Mr. Jay; Nos. 
10, 14, 18, 19, 20, and 37, to 58, inclusive, and 62, 
63, and 64, from that of Mr. Madison. 

He was a member of the state convention of 
New-York, which met in 1788, to deliberate on the 
adoption of the federal constitution. For a time the 
issue of it was doubtful. It was then the triumph 
of his talents and patriotism showed most conspi- 
cuous, and by the force of his eloquence as well as. 
his pen, in the papers signed Publius, he contribut- 
ed much to its adoption. 

On the organization of the federal government, 
in the summer of 1788, Washington placed him at 
the head of the treasury. Here he had to contend 
with almost insurmountable difficulties. But the 
mind of Hamilton was not formed to be intimidat- 
ed or vanquished. It rose in greatness in propor- 
tion to the difficulties it had to encounter. He 
proved himself capable not only of arranging, com- 
bining, and maturing, but of creating the means 
necessary for the attainment of the weightiest pur- 
pose. He perceived, as by intuition, the true cha- 
racter and resources of the country, and devised 
with equal facility the best plan of converting them 
into a basis of national revenue. From the most 
humble and depressed condition, he raised public 
credit to an elevation altogether unprecedented in 
the history of the country, and acquired for him- 
self, both at home and abroad, the reputation of the 
greatest financier of the age. 



147 

His official reports to congress, besides ranking 
high as literary productions, are among the most 
able and instructive papers on political economy 
that have ever appeared. Those of his reports 
which are most highly esteemed are, two on the 
subject of a provision for the support of public 
credit, on the establishment of a national bank, and 
one on the subject of manufactures; all of which 
have been acknowledged to be chef d'oeuvres in 
political literature, and justly entitle him to the 
title of the founder of j^ublic credit in the United 
States. It is said, such was the confidence of 
Washington in his wisdom and judgment, patriot- 
ism and integrity, that he rarely ventured on any 
hicfh executive act without his concurrence. 

In the year 1793, an attempt was made by the 
minister of France to involve the United States as 
a party in the war between that republic and Great- 
Britain. Washington immediately declared the 
course of policy which he intended to pursue, by 
issuing his proclamation of neutrality. Mr. Hamil- 
ton was known to have advised the measure : he af- 
terwards published in defence of it the essays of 
Pacificus, which were highly influential in recon- 
ciling it to public approbation. In these essays, 
though some of them may in point of style and 
elegance be inferior to those of the Federalist, 
yet they exhibit all that perspicuity of arrange- 
ment, and strength of argument, for which all his 
writings are distinguished. 

Finding his salary insufficient for the support of 
a large family, in 1795 he resigned the office of 
secretary of the treasury, and returned once more 
to private life. 

Yet there was one public measure which he felt 
himself bound to vindicate, because it had been 
entered into in part from his own advice. This 
was the treaty of amity and commerce negotiated 
with Great-Britain, through the ministry of Mr. Jay. 
In a series of papers written with his usual ability. 



14^! 

under the signature ol Camillus, he entered into 
an elaborate and successful defence of it. As the 
sun in his ascent, dissipates the mists and ob- 
scurities of the morning, such was the action of 
these luminous essays on the doubts of the com- 
munity. Error and prejudice were scattered by 
their radiance, and brightness and truth became 
every where their attendants. The treaty was rati- 
fied and carried into effect; with what advantages 
to the country, the long career of prosperity which 
succeeded, can best testify. 

In consequence of the injuries and demands, and 
the haughty and menacing aspects of the republic 
of France towards this country, in the year 1798 ; 
to direct and confirm the people in the course they 
should pursue, he published with conclusive effect, 
under the signature of Titus Manlius, a series of 
essays denominated "The Stand." 

President Adams immediately adopted defensive 
measures, and called upon Washington to accept 
the command of the army, which he accepted only 
on condition that colonel Hamilton should be made 
second in command. This arrangement was ac- 
cordingly made. Such was the high eulogium 
conferred upon his talents by the father of his 
country. 

On the death of Washington, in 1799, he suc- 
ceeded, of course, to the command in chief of the 
armies of America. 

The most material diflerences having been peace- 
ably adjusted between the two countries, he re- 
turned again to the profession of the law, and never 
more appeared in any official capacity. 

In the mean time, his fame as an advocate and a 
counsellor continued to brighten ; the last exertion 
of his genius and talents, being still considered by 
those who heard him the greatest and the best. 

In this flourishing state of his fortune and re- 
nown, his country and his family was about to sus- 
tain an irreparable loss. Some personal misun- 



J 49 

derstanding had taken place between him and 
colonel Burr, the latter requiring his acknowledg- 
ment or denial of certain expressions derogatory 
to his honour which he had used ; this was deem- 
ed inadmissible by the former, and the conse- 
quence was, colonel Burr sent him a challenge to 
fight a duel. On the morning of the 11th July, 
1804, the parties met at Hoboken, on the New-Jer- 
sey shore, the very spot where, a short time before 
general Hamilton's eldest son, (in obedience to the 
same principle of honour, and in the violation of 
the laws of God and man !) had fallen in a duel. 
On the first fire, Hamilton received the ball of his 
antagonist, and immediately fell. He was carried 
to the city of New- York, and expired the follow- 
ing day at two o'clock, P. M. in the forty-seventh 
year of his age. Before his death, he expressed 
in strong terms, his abhorrence of the practice of 
duelling, and with sincere horror, repented of hav- 
ing engaged in it. He professed his belief in the 
christian religion, and received at the hands of bi- 
shop Moore the sacrament of the Lord's supper. 
Throughout the United States his premature fall 
excited emotions of sorrow that were inferior only 
to those that had resulted from the death of Wash- 
ington. 

In his person he was small, and short in stature. 
In his dress he was plain, in his disposition social, 
in his manners easy and affable, in his affections 
warm, in his friendship steady, in his feelings ar- 
dent, and in his general deportment a well-bred 
gentleman. His powers of mind were of the first 
order. His eloquence was altogether peculiar and 
unique. It consisted in the most rich and splendid 
elocution, united to the closest logical reasoning — 
every thing he uttered, having been digested and 
assimilated, partook of the diamond qualities of his 
mind. 



150 

Harvard, John, the founder of Harvard college, 
Massachusetts. On his demise, in 1638, by his 
will he left a legacy of eight hundred pounds to 
the school at Cambridge, to which the general 
court gave four hundred pounds more, besides 
smaller sums from several other benefactors. 

The next year the general court constituted it a 
college. But because the memorable John Har- 
vard led the way, by a generosity exceeding most 
of them, his name was justly eternized, says the 
author of the Magnalia, by its having the name of 
Harvard College imposed upon it. 



Hooker, Thomas, the renowned pastor of the 
church in Hartford, Connecticut, was born in the 
year 1586. In 1633, he was ordained the first pas- 
tor of Cambridge, Massachusetts, from whence, in 
1636, he removed with a hundred others, to a fer- 
tile spot on the banks of the Connecticut river, 
which they afterwards called Hartford. 

Here he was the chief instrument of beginning 
another colony. He often visited Boston ; and 
whenever he preached, his great fame drew crowd- 
ed assemblies. This great man died July 7, 1647. 
Dr. Mather calls him the Luther of the American 
church. 

Mr. Cotton said, that he did " Agmen ducere et 
dominari in concionibus, gratia spiritus sancti et 
virtute plenis ;" and that he was " ver solertis et 
acerrimi judicii." A very full memoir of Mr. Hook- 
er has been written by the grandson of Mr. Cot- 
ton, who calls him the light of the western church. 

Many volumes of Mr. Hooker's sermons were 
printed : most of them are now out of print. His 
most famous work is the survey of Church Disci- 
pline, which was published in England in 1648, 
under the inspection of the famous Dr. Thomas 



15J 



Goodwin, who says, '' as touching this treatise, and 
the worthy author of it, to preface any thing by 
commendation of either, were to lay paint upon 
burnished marble, or add light unto the sun." 



. Mollis, Thomas, the founder of two professor- 
ships in Cambridge university, Massachusetts, died 
in February,1731, at the advanced age of seventy- 
two years. In 1727, the net produce of his dona- 
tions, exclusive of gifts non vendible, amounted to 
fourteen thousand and nine hundred pounds, the 
interest of which he directed to be appropriated to 
the support of the professorships of divinity and 
mathematics : likewise to the treasurer of the col- 
lege, and to ten poor students in divinity. 

His nephew, Thomas Hollis, who died in 1774, 
had a most ardent attachment to liberty, and en- 
deavoured to promote it by the publication and dis- 
tribution of books, which vindicates the rights of 
man. His benefactions to the library of Harvard 
college amounted to fourteen hundred pounds ster- 
ling. 



Huntington, Samuel, one of the signers of the 
declaration of independence, was born in Wind- 
ham, Connecticut, July 3, 1732. Having received 
an excellent English education, by his own inde- 
fatigable exertions he acquired a knowledge of the 
languages. At the age of twenty-two years, he 
commenced the study of the law, and having at- 
tained a competent knowledge of the general prin- 
ciples of law, he commenced his professional ca- 
reer in his native town. 

In the year 1760, he removed to Norwich, where 



152 

he soon attracted notice, and entered on a success- 
ful and extensive practice. 

In 1764, Mr. Huntington commenced his politi- 
cal career, and was elected to the general assem- 
bly. Being decided in his opposition to the claims 
and oppressions of the British parliament, and ac- 
tive in his exertions in favour of the colonies, the 
general assembly of Connecticut, properly appre- 
ciating his talents and patriotism, elected him a 
delegate to the general congress of 1776. 

He took his seat in. that venerable assembly, and 
in the subsequent month of July, affixed his signa- 
ture to an instrument which has excited the admira- 
tion of all contemporary nations, and will continue 
to be cherished and maintained, so long as free 
principles and free institutions are permitted to 
exist. He zealously and unremittingly performed 
the duties of the office of delegate to congress, dur- 
ing the years 1776, '77, '78, '79, and '80, when he re- 
turned to Connecticut, and resumed his seat on the 
bench, and in the council. In 1779, he was elect- 
ed, in the place of Mr. Jay, w^ho was appointed a 
minister to Spain, president to congress; and in 
1780, was re-elected to the same honourable office, 
which he continued to fill with dignity, until his 
health was so much impaired, by his close applica- 
tion to business, that he was obliged to resign it, 
which he did in July, 1781, and a few days after 
received the thanks of congress for his able ser- 
vices. 

Having partially recovered, Mr. Huntington re- 
sumed his judicial functions in the superior court 
of his state. Mr. Huntington accepted of a re-elec- 
tion to congress in 1783, and after serving for a 
short time, he finally retired fi'om the great council 
of the nation, of which he had so long been a con- 
spicuous and influential member. 

In 1786, he succeeded Mr. Griswold, as governor 
of the state, and continued to be annually re-elect- 
ed until his death. 



Tliis excellent man, and undeviating patriot, died 
in Norwich, on the 5th January, 1796. 

Governor Huntington was a man of profound 
thought and penetration, of great prudence and 
practical wisdom, of patient investigation, and sin- 
gular perseverance, and of distinguished modera- 
tion and equanimity. 

His deportment in domestic life was excellent ; 
his temper serene ; and his disposition benevolent. 
He was of a cheerful and social disposition; of 
great simplicity and plainness of manners ; and 
as a professor of Christianity, he was exemplary 
and devout. 



Hopkins, Samuel, DD. an eminent divine, from 
whom the christians, called Hopkinsians, derive 
their name, was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, 
September 17, 1721. At the age of sixteen, he 
entered Yale college, and was graduated in Sep- 
tember, 1741. 

In December following, he went to Northamp- 
ton, Massachusetts, to pursue the study of divinity 
with the Rev. Jonathan Edwards. After he was* 
licensed to preach in May, 1742, he still continued 
at Northampton, engaged in his theological studies, 
and preaching occasionally in the neighbouring 
towns. In December, 1743, he was ordained pas- 
tor of the church at Great Barrington, at which 
place he preached for more than twenty-five years. 
He was afterwards invited to Newport, Rhode- 
Island, by the people of the first congregational 
church, and was ordained their minister in 1770, 
over which he presided until the day of his death, 
December 20, 1803, in the eighty-third year of his 
asfe. 

Dr. Hopkins was a man of great abilities in his 
profession, a profound metaphysician, eminent as a 

20 



.154 

writer of polemic divinity, but more eminent aa 
the head of a denomination of christian profes- 
sors, which have greatly increased in New-Eng- 
land. 

He published several valuable works, among 
■which his " System of Doctrines," contained in di- 
vine revelation, explained and defended, to which 
is added a Treatise on the Millennium, 2 volumes, 
8vo. ranks highest, and on which his reputation 
principally rests. 



Hall, Lyman, one of the signers of the declara- 
tion of independence, was born in Connecticut 
about the year 1731, where he received a classical 
education, and commenced the study of medicine. 
In 1752, he married and removed to South Caro- 
lina. During the same year he again changed his 
residence, and established himself at Sunbury, 
Georgia, where he commenced the practice of 
physic. 

On the commencement of hostilities with Great 
Britain, he engaged warmly in the cause of his 
country, and in consideration of his eminent ser- 
vices, he was elected a delegate to the general 
congress of 1775. 

On the 20th May, 1776, Mr. Hall, on his arrival 
to congress, presented new credentials from the 
convention of Georgia, confirming the re-election 
of Messrs. Houston, Bullock, and himself, and the 
addition of George Walton and Button Gwinnett 
to the delegation. The appointment of Mr. Bul- 
lock to the presidency of the provincial council 
prevented him from proceeding to congress. Mr. 
Houston was directed, by a resolution of that body, 
to return to Georgia on public business in June, 
1776 ; henee only three members from that state 



155 

Were present at the signing of the declaration of 
independence. 

Mr. Hall was re-elected to congress a third time ; 
and in 1780, he made his final appearance as a na- 
tional legislator. In 1783, he was elected gover- 
nor of the state. He afterwards retired from pub- 
lic life, and died about the sixtieth year of his age. 

Although Mr. Hall does not appear to have act- 
ed a very conspicuous part in the proceedings of 
congress, yet he possessed strong powers of mind, 
and w^as peculiarly fitted to flourish in the perplex- 
ing and perilous scenes of the revolution. 



Heath, William, a major-general in the Ameri- 
can army, during the revolutionary war, was born" 
at Roxbury, Massachusetts, about the year 1737. 

At an early period of the contest of the colonies 
with Great-Britain, he was an active officer of the 
militia, and in consideration of his zeal and pa- 
triotism in the cause of liberty, he was appointed 
bj the provincial congress, in 1775, a brigadier- 
general. 

In August, 1776, he was by congress promoted 
to the rank of major-general in the continental 
army. 

From 1777, to 1778, he was the commanding of- 
ficer of the eastern department, and on him was 
devolved the arduous and responsible duty of keep- 
ing in charge the officers and troops captured at 
Saratoga. In all his proceedings with these turbu- 
lent captives, he supported the authority of con- 
gress, and the honour and dignity of his office. In 
the most interesting and critical circumstances in 
which a general could possibly be placed, he uni- 
formly exhibited a prudence, animation, decision, 
and firmness, which have done him honour, and 
fully justified the confidence reposed in him. In 



156 

consideration of his faithful performance of this 
trust, he was appointed by congress in 1779, a 
commissioner of the board of war. 

In 1780, he was directed by general Washing- 
ton to repair to Rhode-Island, to make arrange- 
ments for the reception of the French fleet and 
army. 

In May, 1781, he was directed by the command- 
er-in-chief to repair to the New-England states, to 
represent to their respective executives the dis- 
tressing condition of our army, and to solicit a 
speedy supply of provisions and clothing, in which 
he was successful. 

As senior major-general, he was more than once 
commander of the right wing of our army, and 
during the absence of the commander-in-chief, at 
the siege of Yorktown, he was entrusted with the 
command of the main army posted at the high- 
lands, and vicinity. On hostilities having ceased 
between the two armies, general Washington, in 
1784, addressed a letter to general Heath, express- 
ing his thanks for his meritorious services, and his 
real affection and esteem. 

Immediately after the close of the war, general 
Heath was called again into public service in civil 
life, and continued to hold a seat in the legislature 
of Massachusetts till 1793, when he was appointed 
by governor Hancock, judge of probate for the 
county of Norfolk. He was also a member of the 
state convention which ratified the federal consti- 
tution. 

In 1806, he was elected lieutenant-governor of 
Massachusetts, but declined accepting the honour. 

He was more than once an elector of president 
and vice-president of the United States. 

He died at Roxbury, Massachusetts, January 24, 
1814, aged seventy-seven years. 



157 

IIoPKij^soN, Francis, one of the signers of the 
declaration of independence, was born in Philadel- 
phia, about the year 1737. 

On receiving the honours of the college of Phi- 
ladelphia, he commenced the study of the law, and 
in a few years rose to distinguished eminence in 
his profession. 

With talents, ample, quick, and versatile, he cul- 
tivated not only the lighter accomplishments, but 
was skilled in many of the practical and useful 
sciences. 

Soon after he had completed his course of pro- 
fessional studies, he w^as called into active life ; 
and in the year 1761, officiated as secretary in a 
solemn conference held with the Indians by order 
of the government of Pennsylvania. 

In 1765, he visited England; but as soon as the 
clouds began to gather round our political horizon, 
and the unjustifiable oppressions of the British go- 
vernment became more daring and decided, glow- 
ing with love of country, and feeling in unison with 
his fellow citizens a becoming indignation at the 
rapid encroachments of an usurped power, he im- 
mediately embarked for America, and on his ar- 
rival, he employed his pen in support of his op- 
pressed country. 

In 1776, he was elected a delegate to congress 
from the state of New-Jersey, and participated 
largely in the proceedings of that enlightened as- 
sembly, and afterwards affixed his name to the ever 
memorable declaration of independence. He was 
afterwards appointed judge of the admiralty for 
the state of Pennsylvania. This office he held un- 
til 1790, when he received the appointment of 
judge of the district court. In each of these judi- 
cial offices he conducted himself with integrity and 
ability. 

He was an active and useful member of the great 
parties which, at different times, divided his native 
state. He was a vnhig, a republican, and afecle- 



158 

ralist, and he lived to see the principles and wishes 
of each of those parties finally and universally suc- 
cessful. Although his labours had been rewarded 
with many plentiful harvests of well earned fame, 
yet his death to his country and his friends was 
premature. He died suddenly on the morning of 
the 9th of May, 1791. 

In person, Mr. Hopkinson was a little below the 
common size. His features were small, but ex- 
tremely animated. His speech was quick, and all 
his motion seemed to partake of the unceasing ac- 
tivity and versatility of the powers of his mind. 

As a writer, for humour and satire, he was not 
excelled by Lucian, Swift, or Rabelais. Among 
the various causes which contributed to the esta- 
blishment of the independence and federal govern- 
ment of the United States, not a little may be 
ascribed to the irresistible influence of his satire, 
which he poured forth from time to time upon the 
enemies of those great political events. 

His occasional writings have been collected and 
published in three volumes octavo. 



Hancock, John, president of congress, and a dis- 
tinguished patriot, was born near Quincy, Massa- 
chusetts, about the year 1737. After receiving the 
honours of Cambridge university, he entered as a 
clerk in the counting-house of his uncle, and was 
regarded by his friends as an amiable young man ; 
but he discovered no prominent traits of character 
which could lead his acquaintance to prognosticate 
the conspicuous figure he was afterwards to make 
in society. 

At the death of his uncle, he inherited his im- 
mense estate, and soon after commenced his pub- 
lic career. He was first chosen selectman of the 
town of Boston, and in the year 1766, he was elect- 



15U 

ed with Otis, Gushing, and Samuel Adams, a mem- 
ber of the general assembly of the province. 

On taking his seat, he was flattered by marks of 
confidence and distinction : he was generally chosen 
on committees, and was chairman upon some occa- 
sions when the deliberations involved the highest 
interests of the community. 

As soon as the controversy with Great-Britain 
grew warm, and all hopes of accommodation had 
vanished, he entered into the non-importation 
agreement, and all other acts which were expedi- 
ent to keep inviolate the liberties of the people. 

In consideration of his zeal and attachment to 
the rights of his country, he was called to preside 
over the provincial assembly, and was afterwards 
elected a member of the general congress which 
met at Philadelphia in May, 1775; and before the 
close of the session, he was elected president of 
that august body, in the place of Peyton Randolph, 
who was under the necessity of returning home. 

In this office, as the head of the illustrious con- 
gress, of 1776, he signed the declaration of inde- 
pendence. 

In consequence of the ill state of his health, he 
took his leave of congress in October, 1777, and 
received their thanks for his unremitted attention 
and steady impartiality in discharging the duties 
of his office. Henry Laurens was his successor. 

On the adoption of the present constitution of 
Massachusetts, he was chosen the first governor in 
October, 1780. He was annually continued in that 
office until the year 1785, when he resigned; and 
after an intermission of two years, during which he 
had been succeeded by Mr. Bowdoin, was re-elect- 
ed, and remained in the chair until the conclusion 
of his life. 

In 1787, he was chosen president of the state 
convention, which met to ratify and adopt the fe- 
deral constitution. His influence and agency in 
promoting its adoption may be mentioned with the 



160 

objects which most recommend him to esteem 
amongst his cotemporaries, and which entitle him 
to the regard of posterity. 

The latter years of his administration were very 
popular, on account of the public tranquillity. The 
federal government became the source of so much 
prosperity, that the people were easy and happy. 

He died suddenly on the 8th October, 1793, in 
the fifty-sixth year of his age. 

Mr. Hancock was above the middle size, of ex- 
cellent proportion of limbs, and of extreme benig- 
nity of countenance. He was easy in his address, 
polished in manners, affable and liberal; and as 
president of congress, he exhibited a dignity, im- 
partiality, quickness of conception, and constant 
attention to business, which secured him respect. 
Of his talents it is a sufficient evidence, that, in the 
various stations to which his fortune had elevated 
him in the republic, he acquitted himself with an 
honourable distinction and capacity. His commu- 
nications to the general assembly, and his corre- 
spondence as president of congress, are titles of 
no ordinary commendation. 

As an orator, he spoke with ease and propriety 
on every subject. Being considered as a repub- 
lican in principles, and a firm supporter of the 
cause of freedom, whenever he consented to be a 
candidate for governor, he was chosen to that of- 
fice by an immense majority. In private life he 
was charitable and generous — indeed, there are few 
lives, either ancient or modern, that afford, of dis- 
interested generosity, more frequent and illustrious 
examples. Charity was the common business of 
his life. From his private benevolence, a thou- 
sand families received their daily bread ; and there 
is perhaps no individual mentioned in history, who 
has expended a more ample fortune in promoting 
the liberties of his country. He was also a gene- 
rous benefactor of Harvard college. 



161 

Hutchinson, Thomas, governor of Massachu- 
setts, was a native of Boston, and was descended 
from one of the most ancient and honourable fa- 
milies in New-England. 

At the age of twelve, he was admitted into Har- 
vard college; and took the honours of that insti- 
tution in 1727. He turned his attention to mer- 
cantile pursuits, and in a few years afterwards he 
rose to the highest offices of his state. He was 
now stimulated to acquire a knowledge of the 
common law of England, and to bend his mind to 
the study of history and political institutions. Mr. 
Hutchinson's popularity soon rose very high, and 
he was regarded as the friend of liberty. 

In 1761, he succeeded Mr. Sewall as chief jus- 
tice, and was lieutenant-governor from 1758 to 
1770. 

From this time he began to grow unpopular by 
promoting the writs of assistance, which Mr. Otis 
opposed with such force of argument ; and by ad- 
vocating the prerogatives of the crown, rather than 
the rights of the people. He was also suspected 
of having forwarded the stamp act, and of advising 
by letters which he sent to England, "to abridge 
the colonial privileges." 

After the arrival of the stamps, in 1765, a mob 
assaulted his house, pulled down his office, and 
forced him to flee for safety. 

When Bernard returned to England, at the close 
of the year 1769, Mr. Hutchinson was appointed 
governor. From this time he became completely 
subservient to the views of the British ministry. 

He advocated, and strenuously asserted, the right 
of parliament to tax America. He was the means 
of bringing the regular troops to Boston to over- 
awe the people, and to enforce the, tyrannical laws 
of parliament ; and he was inflexible in his deter- 
mination to retain them, notwithstanding every ar- 
gument which was used for their removal. 

21 



16^ 

He became at last so very obnoxious to the pro- 
vince, that he was superseded by general Gage, in 
1774. He embarked for England, where he was 
called upon to give an account of his administra- 
tion, or to describe the state of the colonies ; which 
he did in such a manner, as met the views and de- 
signs of the British cabinet, who made a report 
highly in his favour, and was acquitted. 

But he soon experienced the neglect of those, 
to the promotion of whose plans he had sacrificed 
his reputation for integrity, and to whom he had 
been ready to yield the rights of his country. 

Becoming an object of disgust with all parties, he 
lived many months in a state of chagrin and des- 
pondency, and died at Brampton, in June, 1780. 

His works are a history of Massachusetts, in two 
volumes ; and a collection of original papers rela- 
tive to the history of the colony of Massachusetts 
bay, in one volume octavo. 

The style is bad, but they are much esteemed 
as a valuable collection of facts. 



Heyward, Thomas, one of the signers of the de- 
claration of independence, was born in South Ca- 
rolina, in the year 1746. His father, who was a 
wealthy planter, gave him a classical education. 

He then commenced the study of the law with 
Mr. Parsons, a celebrated lawyer in that day. 
After the usual term of study, he was sent to Eng- 
land, as was the usual custom, to complete his le- 
gal education. After completing his studies in the 
Middle Temple, Mr. Heyward spent several years 
in travel, on the continent of Europe. 

On his return home, in 1773, he soon became 
a favourite with the people. He was elected a 
member of the assembly, and shortly afterwards, 
a member of the council of safety, an office be- 



16^^ 

stowed only on the fearless and prudent. His 
fidelity and patriotism in these trusts recommend- 
ed him to higher honours, and in 1775, he was 
elected to congress, to fill the vacancy occasioned 
by John Rutledge, Esq. 

He arrived in Philadelphia in time to attend 
upon the discussion of the declaration of indepen- 
dence; and found himself in that assembly of 
sages, whose sagacity and intrepidity had remind- 
ed a Chatham of the fathers of ancient Rome. 

His first duty, that he was called upon to dis- 
charge, was to unite in signing that memorable in- 
strument. 

In 1778, he was elected a judge of the criminal 
and civil courts of his state. 

Mr. Heyward, on the invasion of the southern 
states, bore arms in the defence of his country, 
and distinguished himself by his bravery and in- 
trepidity. At the surrender of Charleston, he 
commanded a battalion of troops, and was parti- 
cularly obnoxious, together with other fearless pa- 
triots, to the British. Among other prisoners, he 
was sent to St. Augustine. On the cessation of 
hostilities, he was released^ and returned to Phila- 
delphia. Upon his return to Carolina, he resumed 
the labours of the bench, and continued to act as 
judge until 1798. 

In 1790, he was appointed a member of the con- 
vention for forming a state constitution. On see- 
ing the states happily united under the federal con- 
stitution, he withdrew himself in 1791 from public 
labours and cares, to the retirement of private life. 
He died at his country seat in March, 1809. 

In his public duties, he was honest, firm, and 
intelligent. He conscientiously and fearlessly em- 
barked in the revolution, and devoted with Ro- 
man virtue, his life, estate, and reputation, in the 
cause of American liberty and independence. 



104 



Jefb^erson, Thomas, LL. D. third president of 
the United States, was born in Chesterfield county, 
Virginia, April 2, 1743. 

He received the honours of the college of Wil- 
liam and Mary at an early age, and was distinguish- 
ed for great scholarship. He then commenced the 
study of the law with the late George Wythe, chan- 
cellor of Virginia, and in a few years made great 
proficiency, and was admitted to practice. His 
uncommon qualifications soon brought him into 
notice, and before he had reached his twenty-fifth 
year, he was a conspicuous member of the Virginia 
legislature, and had subsequently a large share in 
all those determined measures of that body, with 
regard to Great Britain, which finally led to the 
call of a general congress. 

In 1775, when the propositions of lord North 
were laid before the assembly by the governor for 
their consideration, he was unanimously appointed 
to answer them. His reply on this occasion was 
not only eloquent, but exhibits a mind of liberal and 
enlarged views. A few days after, he was elected 
a delegate to the general congress, which had con- 
vened at Philadelphia. In this enlightened assem- 
bly, he had scarcely appeared before he became 
conspicuous among those the most distinguished 
by their abilities and patriotism. And while he 
pursued a bold and undeviating course towards the 
great object of independence, was enabled by his 
example, as well as by his arguments, to encourage 
and confirm others. 

The declaration of independence is justly attri- 
buted to his pen, the merits of which it is unne- 
cessary to canvass : not only America, but all Eu- 
rope, too, has long since decided on its claims 
to excellence. The only alterations the original 



draft ot' this celebrated production received in the 
committee, were from Dr. Franklin and John 
Adams, each of whom suggested a single verbal 
variation. 

From the commencement of the year 1777, to 
the middle of 1779, he was engaged with Pendleton 
and Wythe, in making a general revisal of the laws 
of Virginia ; in which he bore a considerable share, 
and to whom Virginia is indebted for the most im- 
portant and beneficial changes in her code. 

The laws, forbidding the future importation of 
slaves ; converting estates tail into fee simple ; an- 
nulling the rights of primogeniture ; establishing 
schools for general education; sanctioning the 
right of expatriation ; confirming the rights of free- 
dom of religious opinions ; and for proportioning 
crimes and punishments. 

In 1779, he succeeded Patrick Henry as gover- 
nor of Virginia, and was re-appointed in the follow- 
ing-year. 

During the tumult and confusion of the year 
1781, he composed his celebrated work, " Notes 
on Virginia." It was written in reply to the que- 
ries proposed to him by Monsieur de Marbois, at 
the suggestion of the French court. 

About the close of the year 1782, he was appoint- 
ed minister plenipotentiary, to join those in Europe, 
who were to determine on the conditions of a treaty 
of peace, which it was expected would soon be en- 
tered into. But before he embarked, intelligence 
was received that preliminaries of peace between 
the United States and Great Britain had been sign- 
ed : accordingly, congress dispensed with his leav- 
ing America. 

In the summer of 1782, he was in congress, at 
the time the Virginia convention were establishing 
their form of government. He had been for some 
time engaged on this subject, and had prepared a 
constitution for the state, formed on the purest 
principles of republicanism, and which was proba- 



166 

bly the first draft of a fundamental constitution 
made by any man in America. 

This he transmitted to tlie convention, but it did 
not reach them until the day when the one that had 
been prepared by the house was to have received 
its final vote. It was therefore set aside, adopting 
only the preamble. On the establishment of peace, 
and tlie consequent opening of a general commer- 
cial intercourse, plenipotentiary commissions for 
the concluding treaties of commerce, were given to 
Thomas Jefierson, Dr. Franklin, and John Adams, 
addressed to the several powers of Europe, and he 
sailed from the United States in July, 1784. A 
commercial treaty with Prussia, was the only re- 
sult of these general commissions, immediately 
after the signing of which, Dr. Franklin returned 
to America, and Mr. Jefferson was appointed his 
successor as minister to France. 

During his residence in France, he, at the re- 
quest of his native state, presented to the city of 
Paris, the bust of the gallant Marquis de La 
Fayette. 

The leisure, as minister, which was imposed 
on him, by the increasing distraction of the coun- 
try, allowed him the opportunity of cultivating his 
acquaintance with the fine arts, and of enjoying the 
society and conversation of men celebrated in litera- 
ture and science. 

In October, 1789, he obtained leave to return 
home, and arrived at Norfolk in the following No- 
vember. On his way to his seat at Monticello, he 
was met by an express from president Washington, 
bringing him a commission as secretary of state. 
This he accepted, and in the April following, pro- 
ceeded to New- York, then the seat of government, 
and entered upon the duties of his office, in which 
he continued until the first of January, 1794, when 
he resigned the situation, and retired to private 
life. The arduous and important duties of his sta- 
tion, are universally acknowledged to have been 



167 

discharged in a manner to reflect the highest credit 
on himself and country. The neutrahty of the 
United States was maintained at a most trying 
period, with inflexible impartiality towards the bel- 
ligerent powers of France and England : and his 
deportment towards Hammond and Genet, the 
ministers resident of two great rival powers, fur- 
nishes the clearest evidence of his consummate 
ability as a statesman. 

A few other of his acts while secretary, ought, 
perhaps, to be noticed, as they are calculated to 
show, in various lights, the wonderful extent of his 
capacity. Among these might be particularized, 
his reports on the privileges and restrictions of 
commerce, and on the whale and cod fish- 
eries ; with his plan for reducing the currency, 
weights, and measures of the United States, to an 
uniform standard. It has been observed, that these 
papers evince not only the feelings of a patriot, and 
the judgment of an accomplished statesman, but 
display, at the same time, uncommon talents and 
knowledge as a mathematician and natural philoso- 
pher, the deepest research as an historian, and 
even an enlarged acquaintance with the business 
and concerns of a merchant. 

In 1797, he was elected vice-president, and in 
1801, president of the United States of America. 
For eight years, he filled this exalted station with 
great ability and wisdom, and at the expiration of 
which, he withdrew for the remainder of his days, 
from the political theatre. The admiration, the 
gratitude, and the regrets of the nation followed 
him. 

Among the most noted acts of his administration, 
was the purchase of the extensive country of Lou- 
isiana; and no one displays in a truer light the 
character of his mind, replete with philanthropy 
and the love of science, than his almost immediate 
directions for the exploration of that vast region. 

Since the year 1776, he has been the president 



168 

of the American philosophical society, and is a 
member of many of the most learned societies in 
Europe and America. 

Until lately, he possessed the most extensive, 
rare, and valuable collection of books, in almost 
every language, and on nearly all subjects; but on 
the destruction of the national library at Washing- 
ton, by the British, in 1814, he at once proposed, 
for a moderate price, to transfer the greater por- 
tion of his books to the United States, and they 
accordingly became the property of the nation. 
He now resides at his elegant retreat at Monticello, 
happy in the consciousness of a well spent life, 
and at the age of eighty-two years, retaining his 
mental faculties and bodily energies in a remarka- 
ble degree. 

In person, he is tall and of slender make ; his 
eyes are light, and full of intelligence ; his com- 
plexion fair, and his hair inclining to red. In con- 
versation, he is free and communicative. All to- 
pics that fall under discussion, are treated by him 
with equal unreservedness. He seems, indeed, to 
have no thought or opinion to conceal, and his 
stores of knowledge are unlocked and laid open 
with the same freedom in which nature unfolds her 
bounties. They lie before you, and you have only 
to select and enjoy. In manner, he is frequently 
pointed, and sometimes energetic, but always mild, 
and occasionally pleasant and facetious. 

The scientific and literary, throughout the Union, 
have always looked upon him as their adviser and 
patron ; and have, indeed, seldom failed to gain 
considerable advantage by their applications. 



Jackson, Andrew, a major-general in the army 
of the United States, w^as born near Camden, 
South-Carolina, March 15, 1767. He was sent to a 



1(59 

flourishing academy at the Waxavv seltlenieiit, 
where he remained, occupied with the dead lan- 
guages, until the revolutionary war brought the ene- 
my into his neighbourhood, whose approach left no 
alternative but tlie choice of the British or Ameri- 
can banners. The intrepid and ardent boy, encou- 
raged by his patriotic mother, hastened, at the age of 
fourteen, in company with one of his brothers, and 
joined the American standard, and shared the glory 
of the well-fought action at Stono. Not long af- 
ter, the Americans engaged the British army, and 
w^ere routed, and our hero was taken among the 
prisoners. At the close of the war, he returned to 
his classical studies, and at the age of eighteen he 
repaired to Salisbury, North Carolina, to a law- 
yer's office, in which he prepared himself for the 
bar. 

In the winter of 1786, he obtained a license to 
practise, from thence he removed to Nashville, 
Tennessee, and there fixed his residence. Suc- 
cess attended his industry and talents, and ere 
long, he was appointed attorney-general for the 
district. 

In 1796, he was elected a member of the con- 
vention, to frame a constitution for the stat^. In 
this body he acquired additional distinction, which 
placed him in the same year in congress, in the 
house of representatives, and the following year in 
the senate of the United States. 

He acted invariably with the republican party, and 
was esteemed for the soundness of his understand- 
ing and the moderation of his demeanour. 

While a senator, he was chosen by the field offi- 
cers of the Tennesse militia, without consultation 
with him, major-general of their division, and s'a^ 
remained until 1814, when he took the same ranE; 
in the service of the United States. 

In 1799, on his resignation as a senator, he was 
appointed one of the judges of the supreme court 
of Tennessee. He accepted this appointment with 



170 

reluctance, and withdrew from tiie bench soon 
after, with the determination to spend the rest of 
his life in tranquillity and seclusion, on a beautiful 
farm belonging to him, on the Cumberland river, 
about ten miles from Nashville. 

His quiet felicity, however, was soon broken up, 
by the occurrence of the war with Great Britain. 
It roused his martial spirit, and drew around his 
standard 2500 men, which he tendered without 
delay to his government. In November, he de- 
scended the Missisippi, for the defence of the 
lower country, which was then thought to be in 
danger. As soon as tranquillity was restored, he 
returned to Nashville, and connnunicated to govern- 
ment the result of his expedition. 

In 1813, on the news arriving of the massacre at 
Fort Mimms, by a party of the British and a strong- 
body of the Creek Indians, under the celebrated 
Tecumseh, the legislature called into service 3500 
of the militia, to march into the heart of the Creek 
nation, and revenge the massacre. 

General Jackson, although at that time labour- 
ing under severe indisposition, reached the en- 
campment on the 7th October, 1813, and took 
command of the expedition. The first battle which 
he fought in person on this occasion, was at the 
fort of Talladega, a fort of the friendly Cherokee 
Indians, which had for some days been besieged 
by near 2000 Creeks. In this ati'air, he routed the 
Indians, with a loss of only fifteen killed and eighty 
wounded ; while that of the Indians was upwards 
of six hundred. The want of provisions obliged 
him to march back to fort Strothcr. On their ar- 
rival there, no stores were found by the famished 
troops, owing to the delinquency of the contractors. 
The sufl^'erings of the army by this time had be- 
come incredible ; the militia resolved to a man to 
abandon the service. On the morning when they 
intended to carry their intention into effect, gene- 
ral Jackson drew up the volunteer companies in 



171 

m 

front of them, and gave his mandate not to advance. 
The firmness displayed on this occasion was so 
striking, that the militia returned to their quarters, 
and were the next day, in their turn, employed to 
put in check a part of the volunteer corps who 
had mutinied. General Jackson was obliged, how- 
ever, to withdraw the troops from fort Strother, 
towards fort Deposite, upon the condition that if 
they met supplies, which were expected, they would 
return and prosecute the campaign. They had not 
proceeded more than ten miles, before they met 
150 beeves ; but their faces being once turned 
homeward, they resisted his order to march back 
to the encampment. The scene which ensued is 
characteristic of his firmness and decision. A 
whole brigade had put itself in the attitude for 
moving off forcibly : Jackson, though disabled in 
his left arm, seizing a musket, and resting it with 
-his right hand on the neck of his horse, he threw 
himself in front of the column, and threatened to 
shoot the first man who should attempt to advance. 
Major Reid and general Cofiee placed themselves 
by his side. For several minutes the column pre- 
served a menacing attitude, yet hesitated to pro- 
ceed : at length it quietly turned round, and agreed 
to submit. This was a critical period : but for the 
daring intrepidity of Jackson, the campaign would 
have been broken up, and the object^of their expe- 
dition. 

A third considerable mutiny, which happened 
not long after, was suppressed by personal efforts 
of the same kind. 

Once more, in the middle of January, 1814, he 
was on his march, bending his course to a part of 
the Tallapoosa river, near the mouth of a creek, 
called Emuckfaw. On the 21st, at night, he dis- 
covered he was in the neighbourhood of the ene- 
my. At the dawn of the next morning, he was 
fiercely attacked by them. The whole of the day 
was spent in severe fighting, when the enemy drew 



off for the night. The next clay, the enemy return- 
ed to the conflict with renewed ardonr, and was 
finally routed. The loss of the enemy was im- 
mense. 

General Jackson then moved forward, and en- 
camped within three miles of fort Strother. Hav- 
ing accomplished the several objects of this perilous 
expedition, in February he discharged the volun- 
teers and his artillery company, receiving in their 
stead fresh militia, drafted for the occasion. On 
the 16th March, he altered his plan, and determin- 
ed to penetrate further into the enemy's country: 
he accordingly set out from fort Strother, and came 
up with the enemy at the village of Tohopeka, 
where the enemy had taken much pains to secure 
themselves by a fortification. On the 27th, gene- 
ral Jackson attacked the enemy, and for a time the 
contest was obstinate and bloody. At length the 
Americans proved victorious, after one of the most 
bloody battles which we have recorded on the an- 
nals of Indian warfare. The loss of the enemy 
was upwards of seven hundred killed, besides se- 
veral hundred prisoners, women and children, who 
were treated with tenderness and humanity. Hav- 
ing thus struck a decisive blow, the hostile tribes 
sued for peace, which was granted to them, on cer- 
tain conditions: those who rejected them sought 
refuge along the coast, and in Pensacola. 

All resistance being at an end, general Jackson 
issued orders for the troops to be marched home 
and discharged. 

The complete and final discomfiture of so for- 
midable a foe as this confederacy of the Creek 
tribes, drew the attention of the general govern- 
ment to the Tennessee commander, and in consi- 
deration of his services, he was promoted as a bri- 
gadier and brevet major-general in the regular ar- 
my, May, 1814. General Jackson, with colonel 
Hawkins, by order of government, was deputed 
to negotiate with the vanquished Indians, for the 



1 7r\ 

purpose chiefly of restricting their limits, so as to 
cut off their communication with the British and 
Spanish agents. They reached their place of des- 
tination on the 10th July, and by the 10th August, 
completely effected the object of their mission. 
During this transaction, his mind was struck with 
the importance of depriving the fugitive and refrac- 
tory Indians of the aid and incitement which were 
administered to them in East Florida. For this 
purpose, he urged to the president the propriety of 
the measure, having already, from information 
which he had received, anticipated the attack on 
New-Orleans. He accordingly, of his own accord, 
addressed the governor of Pensacola, and summon- 
ed him to deliver up the chiefs of the hostile In- 
dians, who were harboured in their fortress. The 
governor peremptorily refused. General Jackson 
again addressed his government on the necessity 
of planting the American eagle on the Spanish 
walls. He addressed the governors of Tennessee, 
Louisiana, and Missisippi, to be vigilant and en- 
ergetic, " for dark and heavy clouds hovered over 
the seventh military district." He sent his adju- 
tant-general, colonel Butler, to Tennessee to raise 
volunteers, and himself repaired to Mobile, to put 
that region in a plan of defence. This position 
had until this time been wholly neglected. Gene- 
ral Jackson, at once perceiving its great importance, 
lost no time in strengthening it. About a fortnight 
after his arrival, a squadron of British ships made 
an attack upon fort Boroyer, 18 miles below the 
head of Mobile bay, but was repulsed by the loss of 
one of their best ships and 230 men killed and 
wounded. General Jackson became more and 
more persuaded, that unless Pensacola should be 
reduced, it would be in vain to think of defending 
his district. He accordingly took up the line of 
march with the American army, and reached Pen- 
sacola on the 6th of November. He found on his 
arrival, the forts garrisoned by the British and 



174 

Spaniards, and prepared for resistance. He forth- 
with required a surrender of the several forts to be 
garrisoned and held by the United States, until 
Spain should furnish a force sufficient to protect 
the neutrality from the British. The governor 
peremptorily refused to accede to these terms. 
General Jackson immediately pushed forward to 
the attack, and after some carnage, he forced the 
governor and his advisers to a submission. 

Two days after entering the town, general Jack- 
son abandoned it, and returned to fort Montgome- 
ry, being satisfied with having driven away the Bri- 
tish, forced the hostile Creeks to fly to the forests, 
and produced a salutary impression on the minds 
of the Spaniards. 

He now proceeded to New-Orleans, where he 
apprehended the most danger, and on the first 
December established his head-quarters in that 
place. 

Here he sounded the alarm of the approaching 
danger to his fellow citizens; roused the legisla- 
ture to lend him their aid, and to prepare with all 
expedition for the coming foe. 

Too soon, alas! was this foresight realized, to 
the consternation of the slumbering citizens. 

On the 14th the British attacked the American 
flotilla on lake Borgne, and captured it, but not 
without a severe contest, and heavy loss of men. 

On the 16th, he reviewed the militia, and ha- 
rangued them with usual eloquence. 

Resistance on the lakes being at an end, the 
enemy had nothing to do but to advance. 

On the 22nd, the British were accidentally dis- 
covered advancing from the swamp and woods, 
about seven miles below the town ; when general 
Jackson, immediately on hearing of their approach, 
resolved to meet them. On the night of the 23d, 
about dusk, the Americans commenced the attack; 
the battle, complicated and fierce, continued for 
some time, until both parties were thrown into con- 



175 

fusion, owing to the darkness of the night; the ene- 
my withdrew from the field of battle about a mile. 
This action for boldness of conception, and by the 
wisdom of the policy and the importance of the 
result, does infinite credit to the American hero. 
As the enemy continued to receive hourly rein- 
forcements, which now amounted to upwards of 
6000 men, general Jackson drew off his troops, 
and resolved to act defensively until he should be 
reinforced. He placed his men behind an en- 
trenchment, with a determination to resist to the 
last extremity. On the 28th, the British force, 
being further increased, and led on by their chief, 
lieutenant-general Sir Edward Packenham, at- 
tempted to storm the American works, but were 
gallantly repulsed. 

Skirmishes were kept up between the two ar- 
mies, until the memorable eighth of January, when 
the enemy moved to the charge so unexpectedly, 
and with so much celerity, that the American sol- 
diers at the out-posts had scarcely time to fly in. 
The whole plain was one continued glare of light- 
ning from the shower of rockets, bombs, and balls, 
poured in from the enemy. Two British divisions, 
headed by Sir Edward Packenham in person, in 
the mean time pressed forward. When they had * 
arrived within a short distance of the entrench- 
ments, the Americans discharged a volley of death 
into their ranks, and arrested their progress. Sir 
Edward fell, generals Gibbs and Keene were 
wounded, and were carried off from the field, which 
by this time was strewed with the dead and dying. 
The British columns, often broken and driven 
back, were repeatedly formed, and urged forward 
anew. Convinced at last that nothing could be 
accomplished, they abandoned the contest, and a 
general and disorderly retreat ensued. The num- 
ber of British engaged amounted to 14,000 ; their 
loss on this day amounted to nearly 3000, while 
that of the Americans was but thirteen killed ! On 



176 

the 18th they took their final leave, and embarked 
in their shipping for the West-Indies. Thus end- 
ed the mighty invasion, in twenty-six days after 
they exultingly placed their standard on the banks 
of the Missisippi. Thus triumphed general Jack- 
son^ by a wonderful combination of boldness and 
prudence ; energy and adroitness ; desperate for- 
titude, and anxious patriotism. 

On his return to the city of New-Orleans, he was 
hailed as her Deliverey- ! The most solemn and 
lively demonstrations of public respect and grati- 
tude succeeded each other daily, until the period 
of his departure for Nashville; nor was the sensa- 
tion throughout the Union less enthusiastic. Soon 
after the annunciation of the peace, concluded at 
Ghent, he retired to his farm, once more to enjoy 
its rural pleasures. 

In January, 1818, general Jackson was again 
called into active service to chastise a portion of 
the Seminole Indians, who instigated by British 
adventurers, had already appeared on our frontiers, 
and had committed the most unheard of massacres. 
In this critical state of affairs, with that zeal and 
promptness which have ever marked his career, 
after having first collected a body of Tennessee 
volunteers, repaired to the post assigned, and as- 
sumed the command. He immediately crossed the 
Spanish line, penetrated into the Seminole towns, 
and reduced them to ashes. He then pursued his 
march to St. Marks, and found a large body of In- 
dians and negroes collected. After ascertaining 
that they had been supplied with arms by the ene- . 
my, and that the Spanish store-houses were appro- 
priated to their use, to store plundered goods from 
the Americans, general Jackson made no hesi- 
tation, after hearing a long list of other grievances, 
to demand a surrender of the post. A hesitation 
was made ; when general Jackson, convinced of the 
necessity of rapid movements, took it by force. 



177 

marched his forces to Suwany, seized upon the 
stores of the enemy, and burnt their villages. 

Having thus far effected his objects, general Jack- 
son considered the war at an end. ISt. Marks be- 
ing garrisoned by an American force; the Indian 
towns destroyed; the two Indian chiefs, and the 
two foreign instigators, Arbuthnot and Armbrister, 
having been taken and executed, he ordered the 
troops to be discharged. 

General Jackson returned to Nashville in June, 
1818, to the beloved retirement of his farm. New 
acknowledgments, and new marks of admiration 
were bestowed upon him in every part of the 
Union. 

On the meeting of congress, general Jackson re- 
paired to Washington, to explain the transactions 
of this last expedition, in person, and to defend 
himself from the imputation of an intention to vio- 
late the laws of his country, or the obligations of 
humanity. This he did in the most able manner. 
Whoever studies his ample and argumentative des- 
patches, and the speeches delivered in his behalf, 
must be convinced that he did neither ; and that in 
making an example of the two instigators and con- 
federates of the Indians, and seizing upon for- 
tresses, which were only used for hostile purposes, 
he avenged and served the cause of humanity, and 
the highest national interests. From W^ashington, 
he came to Philadelphia, and proceeded to New- 
York. Wherever he appeared, lie received the smiles 
and unceasing plaudits of a grateful people. At 
New- York, on the 19th February, he received the 
freedom of the city in a gold box ; and there as well 
as in Baltimore, the municipal councils obtained 
his portrait, to be placed in their halls. 

After the cession of the Floridas, the president 
appointed him first as a commissioner for receiv- 
ing the provinces, and then to assume the govern- 
ment of them. 

On tlie 1st July. 1821, he issued at Pensacola, 



hiis proclamation announcing the possession of the 
territory, and the authority of the United States. 
He also at once adopted rigorous measures for the 
introduction of a regular and efficacious adminis- 
tration of affairs. 

The injury which his health had suffered from 
the personal hardships, inevitable in his campaigns, 
forbade him to protract his residence in Florida. 
Accordingly on the 7th October, 1821, he delegat- 
ed his powers to two gentlemen, the secretaries of 
his government, and set out on his return to Nash- 
ville. 

In this year, the corporation of New-Orleans 
voted ,'^50,000 for erecting a marble statue appro- 
priate to his military services. 

On the 4th July, 1822, the governor of Tennes- 
see, by order of the legislature, presented him with 
a sword, as a testimonial of the "(high respect" en- 
tertained by the state for his public services. 

On the 20th August, the general assembly of 
Tennessee recommended him to the Union for the 
office of president of the United States. 

In the autumn of 1823, he was elected to the 
senate of the United States, in which body he has 
taken his seat. 

Before his election to the senate, he was ap- 
pointed by the president with the concurrence of 
the senate, minister plenipotentiary to Mexico, but 
he declined the honour. 

In person, general Jackson is tall, and remark- 
ably erect and thin. His features are large; his 
eyes dark blue, with a keen and strong glance ; 
his complexion is that of a war-worn-soldier. His 
demeanour is gentle and easy ; affable and ac- 
cessible to all; of great mildness and kindness of 
disposition. 



JT}> 

Jay, John, LL.D. chief justice ot'theUnited States, 
and a distinguished statesman, was born in the 
city of New-York, December 1, 1745. At the age 

of fourteen, he entered -. After taking his 

bachelors degree, he studied hiw, and in a few 
years rose to distinguished eminence in his pro- 
fession. 

The commencement of our struggles with Great 
Britain found him at an age, and with feelings and 
talents, to render him an ardent and able supporter 
of his country's rights, and a fit and worthy succes- 
sor to his father, whose age and infirmities forbade 
him to take that part in the events of the time to 
which he was prompted by inclination. He there- 
fore commenced his political career at a point which 
was justly considered the honourable goal of many 
an older patriot's ambition. 

In 1774, he was elected by the citizens of New- 
York, a delegate to the first general congress which 
met at Philadelphia; that congress, of wliich to 
have been member, is a sufficient title to the grati- 
tude of Americans. 

In 1776, he was elected president of that august 
and enlightened body. 

In 1777, he was a member of the convention of 
the state of New-York, which met to deliberate 
and frame a new constitution ; and drew the first 
draft of that instrument. 

In 1778, he was appointed chief justice of that 
state. In the following year, he was appointed 
minister plenipotentiary to the court of Spain, and 
sailed for Cadiz in the beginning of December. 

The object of this mission was to obtain from 
Spain an acknowledgment of our independence, 
to form a treaty of alliance, and to procure pecu- 
niary aid : but on the two first points he failed. 

Early in the summer of 1782, he was appointed 
one of the commissioners to negotiate a peace with 
England, and was authorized to continue the nego- 
tiation with Spain. 



180 

In September, 178f3, he signed a detinitive treaty 
of peace with the former, and soon after resigned 
his commission, and retnrned home. 

On his arrival in the United States, he was placed 
at the head of the department for foreign affairs, in 
which office he continued till the adoption of the 
federal constitution, when he was appointed chief 
justice of the United States. 

In 1794, he was appointed envoy extraordinary 
to Great Britain, and signed the treaty which has 
since borne his name. 

In 1795, he was elected governor of the state of 
New-York, and in 1801, declined a re-election, 
and withdrew altogether from public life. 

In person, Mr. Jay is tall and of slender make ; 
with a countenance indicative of the highest de- 
gree of intelligence. To his pen, while in con- 
gress, was America indebted for some of those 
masterly addresses which reflect such high honour 
upon the government; to his firmness and pene- 
tration, were in no considerable degree to be 
ascribed those intricate negotiations which were 
conducted, towards the close of the war, both at 
Madrid and Paris. 

With a mind improved by extensive reading and 
great knowledge of public affairs ; unyielding firm- 
ness and inflexible integrity; his character, perhaps, 
approaches nearer than any other of modern times, 
to the Aristides of Plutarch. 



181 



,KiNG, RuFUS, a distinguished statesman, and one 
of the signers of the federal constitution, was born 
in the year 1755, in the town of Scarborough, dis- 
trict of Maine. 

In the year 1773, he was admitted a student of 
Harvard college, and graduated in 1777. In this 
seminary he acquired great reputation for his clas- 
sical attainments, and more especially for his ex- 
traordinary powers of oratory. From Cambridge 
he went to Newburyport, and entered as a student 
of law in the office of the late chief justice Par- 
sons, with whom he completed his studies, and was 
admitted to the bar in 1780. 

In 1783, he was elected a member to the state 
legislature of Massachusetts. 

In the years 1784, '5, and '6, he was a member 
of the old congress, and on several occasions, he 
delivered some of the most masterly speeches ever 
heard. 

In 1787, he was appointed by the legislature of 
Massachusetts a delegate to the general conven- 
tion, held at Philadelphia, and bore a large share 
in the discussion and formation of our present sys- 
tem of government. He attended during the whole 
session of the convention, and was one of the com- 
mittee appointed by that body to prepare and re- 
port the final draft of the constitution of the United 
States. He was afterwards a conspicuous and lead- 
ing member of the Massachusetts convention, which 
met to ratify and adopt it. 

In the year 1786, he married Miss Alsop, of the 
city of New- York, to which place he removed in 
1788. 

In the summer of 1789, he and general Schuyler 
were elected the first senators from the state of 



I m 

New-York, under the constitution of the United 
States. 

In 1794, soon after the promulgation of the Bri- 
tish treaty, a series of papers was published in its 
defence, under the signature of Camillus. The 
ten first numbers were written by general Hamil- 
ton, and the remainder by Mr. King. In these 
masterly papers there is discovered a depth of 
research, and an acquaintance with the various 
treaties and laws of different nations, on the sub- 
jects of navigation, trade, and maritime law, which 
render them of inestimable value. 

In the spring of 1796, he was appointed by pre- 
sident Washington, minister plenipotentiary to the 
court of Great-Britain. After an absence of seven 
years he resigned his mission, and returned home 
in 1803. During his residence abroad, few foreign- 
ers lived on more intimate terms with the public 
men of the day, as well those in administration 
as the opposition. He frequented the society of 
literary men, and has since maintained a corre- 
spondence with some, of the most distinguished 
civilians of the old world. 

In 1813, he was again chosen by the legislature 
of New- York, a senator of the United States. 

In person, Mr. King is above the middle size, 
and somewhat athletic. His countenance is man- 
ly, and bespeaks intelligence of the first order. 
His conversation and writings are remarkable for 
conciseness, force, and simplicity. 

As a statesman he is intimately conversant with 
the laws and constitution of his country, and fami- 
liarly acquainted with its various interests, foreign 
and domestic ; as a civilian, well read in the laws 
of nations ; as an erudite classical scholar, both in 
ancient and modern literature, and as an elegant 
writer, and a consummate orator, he may be said 
to rank with the first of his cotemporaries. 



18^ 

Knox, Henry, LL. D. a major-general in the 
army of the United States, was born at Boston, 
July 25, 1750. Among those of our country, who 
most zealously engaged in the cause of liberty, few 
sustained a rank more deservedly conspicuous, than 
general Knox. He was one of those heroes, of 
whom it may be truly said, that he lived for his 
country. The ardour of his youth, and the vigour 
of his manhood, were devoted to acquiring its liber- 
ty and establishing its prosperity. 

At the age of eighteen, he was selected by the 
young men of Boston to the command of an inde- 
pendent company : in this station, he exhibited 
those talents, which afterwards shone with lustre, 
in the most brilliant campaigns of an eight years 
war. 

In the early stages of British hostility, though 
not in commission, he was not an inactive specta- 
tor. At the battle of Bunker-hill he acted as a 
volunteer in reconnoitring the movements of the 
enemy. 

Scarcely had we begun to feel the aggressions 
of the British arms, before it was perceived that 
we were destitute of artillery ; and no resource pre- 
sented itself, but the desperate expedient of pro- 
curing it from the Canadian frontier. At this cri- 
sis he generously offered his services to the com- 
mander-in-chief, to supply the army with ordnance 
from Canada, notwithstanding the obstacles and 
perils of the undertaking. Accordingly, in the 
winter of 1775, he commenced his operations, and 
in a few weeks, he had surmounted every difficulty 
and danger, and returned laden with ordnance 
and stores. 

In consequence of this important service, he was 
appointed to the command of the artillery of which 
he had thus laid the foundation, in which command 
he continued with increasing reputation through the 
revolutionarv war. 



184 

In the battles of Trenton and Princeton he glo- 
riously signalized himself by his bravery and va- 
lour. 

In the bloody fields of Germantown and Mon- 
mouth, he was no less distinguished for the dis- 
charge of the arduous duties of his command. In 
the front of the battle he was seen animating his 
soldiers, and pointing the thunder of their cannon. 
His skill and bravery were so conspicuous on the 
latter occasion, that he received the particular ap- 
probation of the commander-in-chief. 

In every field of battle, where Washington fought, 
Knox was by his side. Honourable to himself as 
had been the career of his revolutionary services, 
new laurels were reserved for him at the siege of 
Yorktown. To the successful result of this me- 
morable siege, no officer contributed more essen- 
tially than the commander of the artillery. His 
animated exertions, his military skill, his cool and 
determined bravery in this triumphant struggle, re- 
ceived the unanimous approbation of congress, and 
he was immediately created major-general, with 
the concurrence of the commander-in-chief, and of 
the whole army. Having contributed so essential- 
ly to the successful termination of the war, he was 
next selected as one of the commissioners to ad- 
just the terms of peace. He was deputed to receive 
the surrender of the city of New-York, and soon 
after appointed to the command of West Point. 

It was here that he was employed in the delicate 
and arduous duty of disbanding the army, and in- 
ducing a soldiery, disposed to turbulence by their 
privations and sufferings, to retire to domestic life^ 
and resume the peaceful character of citizens. 

The great objects of the war being accomplish- 
ed, and peace restored to our country, general Knox 
was, early under the confederation, appointed se- 
cretary of war by congress, in which oflice he was 
confirmed by president Washington, after the esta- 
blishment of the federal oovernment. 



185 

Having filled this office for eleven years, he ob- 
tained the reluctant consent of president Washing- 
ton to retire. 

Retired from the theatre of active life, he still felt 
a deep interest in the prosperity of his country. 
He was called repeatedly to take a share in the 
government of the state, to which he had removed, 
and in the discharge of whose several duties, he 
exhibited great wisdom and experience as a legis- 
lator. In the full vigour of health, he suddenly 
died at Montpelier, his seat in Thomaston, Maine, 
on the 25th October, 1806. 

The great qualities of general Knox were not 
merely those of the hero and the statesman ; with 
these were combined those of the elegant scholar, 
and the accomplished gentleman. There have been 
those as brave and as learned, but rarely a union 
of such valour, with so much urbanity; a mind so 
great, yet so free from ostentation. 

In his private virtues, he was no less the orna- 
ment of every circle in which he moved, as the ami- 
able and enlightened companion, the generous 
friend, the man of feeling and benevolence. In 
consideration of his literary attainments, the presi- 
dent and trustees of Dartmouth college conferred 
on him the degree of doctor of laws. 



KoLLOcK, Henry, DD. an eminent divine, was 
born at New-Providence, New-Jersey, December 
14, 1778. The years of his infancy and childhood 
were distinguished by intimations of a superior 
mind ; by a natural curiosity and thirst for know- 
ledge, which his friends hailed as the presages of 
his future eminence. So completely was his mind 
absorbed by the pursuit of knowledge, so close and 
unwearied was his application to books, that at a 

24 



186 

very early period, he impaired his iiealth, and en- 
dangered his life. 

After going through the usual course of study at 
the grammar school, he entered Princeton college 
at the age of thirteen, and pursued his collegiate 
studies with uncommon ardour ; and before he had 
attained his sixteenth year, received the degree of 
bachelor of arts. 

About this period he became the subject of di- 
vine grace, and was admitted a member of the pres- 
byterian church in Elizabeth-Town, to which place 
his parents had removed. Soon after, being strong- 
ly impressed that God had designed him for the 
christian ministry, he commenced the study of di- 
vinity, and became a candidate for the gospel minis- 
try in the year 1797. 

He was elected a tutor of Princeton college. In 
this situation he prosecuted his theological studies 
under president Smith with unremitting ardour. 
Here too he extended his acquaintance with the 
great writers of antiquity ; the poets, the orators, 
and the historians of Greece and Rome ; and read 
with avidity and attention the British classics, for 
which, from a child he had a peculiar relish. By 
being familiar with these excellent models of writ- 
ing, he acquired that ease and elegance of style, 
and that correctness and delicacy of taste, which 
are perceptible in all his productions. He also 
made himself master of the French language. 

But while he was thus enriching his mind with 
useful knowledge, he was not neglectful of per- 
sonal piety. 

In 1800, he was licensed to preach by the pres- 
bytery of New- York, and soon after appeared in 
public, and preached with great acceptation. 

In a few months he gained the highest reputation 
as a pulpit orator. His extraordinary powers, as a 
preacher, soon attracted the attention of important 
churches ; and many who were destitute of a pas- 
tor desired to enjoy his valuable ministry. 



187 

Before the close of the year 1800, he was instal- 
led pastor of the church at Elizabeth-Town. While 
pastor of this church, his labours were eminently 
blessed. In the pulpit and in his closet, in his pas- 
toral visits, and in the associations for prayer, he 
seemed to lose sight of every consideration but 
the glory of God, and the spiritual benefit of his 
people. 

In December, 1803, he received the appointment 
of professor of divinity in the college of New-Jer- 
sey, to which place he afterwards removed, and 
also undertook the pastoral charge of the church 
at Princeton. 

As a professor of theology he was highly esteem- 
ed, and extensively useful. 

In 1806, he received the degree of doctor of di- 
vinity, from Harvard university, and a few months 
afterwards the same honour from Union college. 
His character as a theologian and a man of science, 
was now very conspicuous and extensively known. 

In the summer of the same year he accepted of 
the call from the independent presbyterian congre- 
gation of Savannah, and shortly after removed with 
his family to that place. Here, while he indefati- 
gably and successfully laboured for the promotion 
of religion, he did much for the advancement of 
literature and science. To him Savannah is in- 
debted for her valuable and extensive library. He 
every where inspired a taste for reading ; and in 
proportion as religion flourished, science was ad- 
vanced, and literature cultivated. 

In 1810, he was invited to accept the presidency 
of the university of Georgia, which had become 
vacant by the resignation of Dr. Meigs, but this 
call he declined. 

In the year 1817, he made a voyage to Europe, 
chiefly for the purposing of restoring his health, as 
well as to collect materials for a life of Calvin, 
which he had commenced many years before. He 
visited the chief cities of England, Scotland, Ire- 



188 

land, and France ; and was received with that at- 
tention and respect which are due to a man of sci- 
ence, and a distinguished minister of Christ. 

After an absence of eight months, he returned to 
the United States, with his health much invigorat- 
ed — but it is to be regretted he failed in procuring 
the materials which he needed to complete the 
life of Calvin. It therefore remains in an unfinish- 
ed state, and unfit for publication. This is a cir- 
cumstance much to be regretted, as it deprives the 
public of a work which would have done honour 
to our country. He had bestowed much pains upon 
it, and if it had been published according to the 
author's plan, it would have been decidedly supe- 
rior to any of his works. 

During the summer and autumn of 1819, Savan- 
nah was visited with unusual sickness and mortali- 
ty. In proportion to the extent of the disease, and 
the number of deaths, Vv^erc the severity and con- 
stancy of Dr. Kollock's labours. Such were his 
unremitted duties, during this calamitous period, 
that he gradually relapsed into that state of organic 
debility, from which he had been restored by his 
voyage to Europe, and without a struggle closed 
his useful and valuable life, December 29, 1819, 
aged forty-one years. 

As a preacher, few in our country ever excelled 
him. Possessing all the requisites to form a pul- 
pit orator, he carried the art of preaching to the 
highest perfection, and displayed all the character- 
istics of genuine eloquence. Deeply impressed 
with a sense of the important truths which he de- 
livered, he added to fervent piety the most brilliant 
and inventive imagination, the most correct and de- 
licate taste, the clearest conception, and the most 
solid judgment. 

As a scholar, he was highly distinguished. From 
his youth he had always been a labourious student, 
and through life his thirst for knowledge continued 
and increased. He was well acquainted with the 



189 



Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French, and German lan- 
guages. In the latter he particularly took delight 
in perusing works of taste, criticism, and theology. 
His- works are published in four volumes octavo. 



ft 



190 



Laurens, Henry, president of congress, and a 
distinguished patriot, was born in Charleston, South 
Carolina, in the year 1724. The superintendence 
of his education was first given to Mr. Howe, and 
afterwards to Mr. Corbett; but of the nature of his 
studies, or the extent of his acquirements, we are 
not toid. He was regularly bred to mercantile 
pursuits, and was remarkable through life for his 
peculiar observance of business. In whatever he 
was engaged, he was distinguished for his extra- 
ordinary punctuality. He rose early, and devoting 
the morning to the counting-house, he not unfre- 
quently finished his concerns before others had left 
their beds. Industrious almost to an extreme him- 
self, he demanded a corresponding attention and 
labour on the part of those in his employ. 

In the year 1771, on the death of his amiable 
wife, he relinquished business, and visited Europe, 
principally for the purpose of superintending the 
education of his sons. 

He took an early part in opposing the arbitrary 
claims of Great Britain, and was one of the thirty- 
nine native Americans, who endeavoured by their 
petition to prevent the British parliament from 
passing the Boston port bill. 

Every exertion on the part of the colonies prov- 
ing fruitless, he hastened home, with a determina- 
tion to take part with his countrymen against Great 
Britain. The circumstance of his leaving England 
at this important crisis, expressly to defend the 
cause of independence, served to confirm in the 
highest degree that unbounded confidence in his 
fidelity and patriotism, for which his friends, through 
the whole course of his career, had such an ample 
cause to entertain. 



191 

On his arrival in this country, no attentions were 
withheld which it was possible to bestow. 

When the provincial congress of Carolina met 
in June, 1775, he was appointed its president, in 
which capacity, he drew up a form of association, 
to be signed by all the friends of liberty, which in- 
dicated a most determined spirit. 

On the establishment of a regular constitution 
in South Carolina, in 1776, he was elected a mem- 
ber of congress. On the resignation of president 
Hancock, he was appointed the president of that 
august body. 

In 1780, he was appointed a minister plenipoten- 
tiary to Holland to solicit a loan, and to negotiate 
a treaty. On his passage to that country, he was 
captured by a British vessel, and sent to England. 
He was there imprisoned in the tower of London, 
on the 6th October, as a state prisoner, upon a 
charge of high treason. He was confined more 
than a year, and treated with great severity ; being 
denied for the most part all intercourse with his 
friends, and forbidden the use of pen and ink. 

Towards the close of the year 1781, his suffer- 
ings, which had by that time become well known, 
excited the utmost sympathy for himself, but kin- 
dled the warmest indignation against the authors 
of his cruel confinement. Every exertion to draw 
concessions from this inflexible patriot having prov- 
ed more than useless, the ministry resolved upon 
his releasement. As soon as his discharge was 
known, he received from congress a commission, 
appointing him one of their ministers for negotiat- 
ing a peace with Great-Britain. 

In conjunction with Dr. Franklin, John Jay, and 
John Adams, he signed the preliminaries of peace on 
the 30th November, 1782, and a short time after he 
returned to South Carolina. Although he could have 
commanded any office in the gift of his state, he 
declined every honour which was urged upon him 
by his countrymen, preferring to spend the re- 



192 

mainder of his days in rural retirement and domes- 
tic enjoyment. 

He expired on the 8th December, 1792. He di- 
rected his son to burn his body on the third day, 
as the sole condition of inheriting an estate of 
£60,000 sterling. 



Linn, John Blair, DD. a poet, and an eminent 
divine, was born in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, 
March 14, 1777. He early evinced a strong at- 
tachment to books. At the age of thirteen he 
entered Columbia college, and graduated at the 
age of eighteen. During the four years which 
he passed at college, the fine writers of the age, 
particularly the poets, became his darling study. 

On leaving college, he commenced the study of 
the law under the direction of general Alexander 
Hamilton, but he did not apply himself with much 
assiduity to his new pursuit. 

The splendid visions of Shakspeare and Tasso 
were more attractive. He regarded the legal sci- 
ence every day with new indifference, and at the 
close of the first year relinquished the profession 
altogether. After much deliberation, he determin- 
ed to devote his future life to the service of the 
church. 

He now retired to Schenectady, and put himself 
under the care of Dr. Romeyn, a professor of theo- 
logy- 

In the year 1798, he was licensed to preach by 

the classis of Albany. Amidst some exuberances 
of style and sentiment, the excellence of his per- 
formances excited lively expectations of his future 
distinction. 

In the year 1799, he accepted a call from the first 
Presbyterian church at Philadelphia, and was or- 
dained as colleague with the Rev. John Ewing. 



19^3 

His health, which had always been delicate, from 
this period began to decline ; and his death, not a 
little accelerated by excessive application to study, 
and the duties of his office, happened on the 30th 
August, 1804. 

As a preacher, few persons ever attained so 
great a popularity as he acquired before his twen- 
ty-third year. As a poet, he possesses consider- 
able merit. 

He pubhshed in 1801, ''The Powers of Genius." 
In 1802, "A Controversy with Dr. Priestley," Mis- 
cellanies in prose and verse," and "Valerian." 



Lewis, Meriwether, governor of Louisiana, 
was born in Albemarle county, Virginia, August 18, 
1774, and from infancy was always distinguished 
for boldness and enterprise. 

At the age of twenty-three he received the ap- 
pointment of captain in the regular army, and in 
the year 1792, he was selected by president Jefter- 
son, in conjunction with Mr. Michaux, to explore 
the country of the Missouri; unfortunately, how- 
ever, the expedition was abandoned by the recall 
of Mr. Michaux. 

In 1803, congress, at the recommendation of 
president Jefferson, voted a sum of money for ex- ' 
ploring the Missouri to its source, to cross the high- 
lands, and follow the best water communication 
which offered itself from thence to the Pacific 
ocean. 

Captain Lewis, who was at this time intimately 
known to president Jefferson, for courage and per- 
severance in whatever he undertook, for an honest, 
liberal, and sound understanding, and an intimate 
knowledge of the Indian character, their customs, 
and principles, and for a fidelity to truth so scru- 
pulous, that whatever he should report would be as 

.25 



certain as if seen by liimself, he did not hesitate 
to confide the enterprise to him as one every way 
qualified to conduct it. At his request, he was 
accompanied by captain Clark, in case of accident 
to himself, that lie might direct the further prose- 
cution of the enterprise. 

A draught of instructions having been prepared, 
he left the city of Washington, July 5, 1803, and 
})roceeded on the expedition, and did not return to 
Washington before the 3rd of February, 1807. 
Congress, in consideration of his services, granted 
to him and his followers a donation of a large 
tract of land. 

He was, soon after, appointed governor of Loui- 
siana. He died September 20, 1809. 

An account of his expedition has been publish- 
ed in tv/o volumes octavo. 



Ledyard, John, an enterprismg traveller, was 
born at Groton, Connecticut, about tlie year 1750. 
At the age of eighteen he commenced the study 
of divinity at Dartmouth College, New-Hampshire. 
During his residence at this institution, he had an 
opportunity of learning the character and 4[Tianners 
of the Indians, which was of no little advantage to 
him in the future periods of his life. In the year 
1771, he went to New-York and embarked for Lon- 
don. When captain Cook sailed on his third 
voyage of discovery, Ledyard, who felt an irresista- 
ble desire to explore those regions of the globe 
which were yet undiscovered or imperfectly known, 
accepted the humble station of corporal of marines, 
rather than forego an opportunity so inviting to 
his inquisitive and adventurous spirit. He was 
a favourite of the illustrious navigator, and was 
one of the witnesses of his tragical end in 1778. 
In 1781, he returned to his native place, after an 



195 

absence often years. In 1782, he again embarked 
at New- York for England. He now resolved to 
traverse the continent of America, from the north- 
west coast, which Cook had partly explored, to the 
eastern coast, with which he was already perfectly 
familiar. He accordingly crossed the British 
Channel to Ostend, with only ten guineas in his 
purse ; determined to travel over land to Kamschat- 
ka, whence the passage is short to the western 
coast of America. When he came to the gulf of 
Bothnia, he attempted to cross the ice, that he 
might reach Kamschatka by the shortest way ; but 
finding that the water was not frozen in the middle, 
he returned to Stockholm. He then travelled 
northward into the arctic circle, and passing round 
the head of the gulf, descended on its eastern side 
to St. Petersburg. There his extraordinary ap- 
pearance attracted general notice. Without stock- 
ings or shoes, and too poor to provide himself with 
either, he was invited to dine with the Portuguese 
ambassador, who supplied him with twenty guineas, 
on the credit of Sir Joseph Banks. Through his 
interest, he also obtained permission to accompany 
a detachment of stores to Yakutz, in Siberia. 
From Yakutz, he proceeded to Ochotsk, on the 
Kamschatkan sea. But as the navigation was com- 
pletely obstructed by the ice, he returned to Ya- 
kutz. Here he was seized as a prisoner, and con- 
veyed through the north of Tartary to the frontiers 
of the Polish dominions, where he was released 
on condition of returning to England. Poor, for- 
lorn, and friendless, and exhausted by fatigue, dis- 
ease, and misery, he proceeded to Koningsburg, 
where the interest of Sir Joseph Banks enabled 
him to procure the sum of five guineas, by means 
of which he arrived in England. 

He immediately waited on Sir Joseph Banks, 
who recommended him to an adventure as perilous 
as that from which he had just returned. 



]9() 

Ledyard engaged with enthusiasm in the enter- 
prise, and received from Sir Joseph a letter of in- 
troduction to one of the members of the associa- 
tion, which had been formed for promoting the 
discovery of the interior parts of Africa, which were 
then little known. The description which that 
gentleman has given of his first interview, strongly 
marks the character of this hardy traveller. " Be- 
fore I had learned," says he, "from the note the 
name and business of my visiter, I was struck with 
the manliness of his person, the breadth of his 
chest, the openness of his countenance, and the in- 
quietude of his eye. I spread the map of Africa 
before him, and tracing a line from Cairo to Se- 
naar, and from thence westward in the latitude 
and supposed direction of the Niger, I told him 
that was the route by which I was anxious that 
Africa might, if possible, be explored. He said 
he should think himself singularly fortunate to be 
intrusted with the adventure. I asked him when 
he would set out I To-morrow morning, was his 
answer." 

From such zeal, decision, and intrepidity, the so- 
ciety naturally formed the most sanguine expecta- 
tions. He sailed from London, June 30, 1788. 
He passed through Paris and Marseilles to Alex- 
andria. 

He there assumed the dress of an Egyptian tra- 
veller, and proceeded to Cairo, which he reached 
on the 19th August. Here, after repeated delays 
and disappointments in the departure of the cara- 
van which he was to have accompanied, he was 
obstinately attacked by a fever, which baffled the 
skill of the most approved physicians of Cairo, 
and terminated his earthlv existence, January 17, 
1789. 

Besides his communications to the African asso- 
ciation, he published an account of Cook's voyage 
in 1781. A number of his manuscripts remain in 
the hands of his brother, of the city of New- York. 



197 

Livingston, Robert R. one of the signers of 
the declaration of independence, was born in the 
city of New- York, on the 2nd September, 1747. 
At the age of eighteen he graduated in the col- 
lege of New-York, and soon after commenced the 
study of the law, with the late William Smith, Esq. 
On completing his legal education, he was called 
to fill the office of recordership of that city. It 
was at this period, the great question of the rights 
of the colonies agitated the community, and he 
was called upon to assert their rights, and expose 
their wrongs, on the floor of the general congress. 

To occupy a seat in this august assembly, and to 
be associated with Washington, Franklin, Jeffer- 
son, Henry, and others, is the highest, as it certain- 
ly is, the purest eulogium that can be pronounced 
upon his virtues and talents. 

How he passed this trial, will be best gathered 
from the archives of congress, which associate 
him with Lee and Pendleton, in framing the ad- 
dress to the inhabitants of Great Britain ; with Jef- 
ferson, Franklin, and John Adams, in preparing 
the declaration of independence ; and with Samuel 
Adams, Dickinson, and M'Kean, in digesting and 
presenting a form of national government, subse- 
quently adopted, under the name of articles of con- 
federation and perpetual union. 

From 1781 to 1783, he filled the responsible 
office of foreign affairs, when he retired. On his 
resignation, he received the thanks of congress, for 
the zeal and fidelity with which he had discharged 
this important trust. 

Nor was he, exclusiyely, employed in national 
concerns. He devoted that part of his time which 
was not employed in the councils of his nation, to 
the concerns of his state, in framing a new con- 
stitution. 

Under this new constitution he was appointed 
chancellor of the state, which he filled with distin- 
guished abilities till the year 1801. 



198 

In 1801, he was appointed by president Jeffer- 
fSon, minister plenipotentiary to France. He ac- 
cordingly arrived at Paris in the autumn, and im-^ 
mediately urged the purport of his mission. 

In the year 1804, having effected the object of 
his mission, viz. the purchase of the territory of 
Louisiana, and the liquidation of the debts due on 
the part of France to the citizens of the United 
States, he obtained leave to return home, of which 
he received notice on the arrival of general Arm- 
strong, his successor. Previous to his leaving Eu- 
rope, he made a tour through Italy, Switzerland, 
and Germany, and returned to his seat on the Hud- 
son, in June, 1805. 

With this mission terminated the political life of 
Mr. Livingston, but not that of his public useful- 
ness. In matters of taste, in the progress of the 
useful arts, in the improvement of the country by 
canals, roads, planting, building, and agriculture, 
his mind was constantly and vigorously employed ; 
and to his suggestions or example much of the 
present honourable impulse in these branches may 
be justly ascribed. And lastly, the perfection of 
the steam-boat navigation in this country. In the 
vigour of health, and the plentitude of usefulness, 
this distinguished patriot and statesman was sud- 
denly called to pay the debt of nature on the 15th 
February, 1813, in the sixty-seventh year of his 
age. 



Livingston, William, One of the signers of the 
federal constitution, was born in New- York, about 
the year 1723, and was graduated at Yale college 
in 1741. He afterwards pursued the study of the 
law. Possessing a strong and comprehensive mind, 
a brilliant imagination, and a retentive memory, 
and improving with unwearied diligence the lite- 



199 

rary advantages which he enjoyed, he soon rose to 
eminence in his profession. He early embraced 
the cause of civil and religious liberty. When 
Great Britain advanced her arbitrary claims, he 
employed his pen in opposing them, and in vin- 
dicating the rights of his countrymen. After sus- 
taining some important offices in New-York, he 
removed to New-Jersey, and as a representative of 
this state was one of the principal members of the 
first congress in 1774. 

In 1776, on the formation of the new constitu- 
tion of the state, he was elected the first governor; 
and such was his integrity and republican virtue, 
that he was annually re-elected until his death. 
During our struggles for liberty, he bent his exer- 
tions to support the independence of his country. 
By the keenness and severity of his political writ- 
ings he exasperated the British, who distinguished 
him as an object of their peculiar hatred. His 
pen had no inconsiderable influence in exciting 
that indignation and zeal, which rendered the mi- 
litia of New-Jersey so remarkable for the alacrity 
with which on any alarm they arrayed themselves 
against the common enemy. 

In 1787, he was appointed a delegate to the 
grand convention, which formed the constitution of 
the United States. After having sustained the of- 
fice pf governor for fourteen years, with great ho- 
nour to himself, and usefulness to the state, he 
died at his seat near Elizabeth-Town, July 25, 
1790. 

Governor Livingston was remarkably plain and 
simple in his dress and manners. He was con- 
vivial, easy, mild, witty, and fond of anecdote. 
Fixed and unshaken in christian principles, his life 
presented an example of incorruptible integrity, 
strict honour, and warm benevolence. 

His writings evince a vigorous mind and a re- 
fined taste. Intimately acquainted with ancient 
and modern literature, he acquired an elegance of 



200 

style, which placed him among the first of modern 
writers. 

He published a poem, called Philosophical Soli- 
tude; an Eulogium on President Burr, 1758; Mis- 
cellaneous pieces in prose and verse ; a Review of 
the Military Operations in North America, from 
1753 to 1756. 



Livingston, Philip, one of the signers of the 
declaration of independence, was a member of the 
family, which has long been distinj^uished in the 
state of New-York, and was born at Albany, Janua- 
ry 15, 1716. He was graduated at Yale college in 
1737. 

With the superior advantages of an excellent 
education, he embarked in mercantile pursuits, and 
was soon engaged in extensive operations ; and his 
inflexible integrity, and enlarged and comprehen- 
sive views, laid the foundation and erected the 
structure of extraordinary prosperity. 

His first appearance in public life was in Sep- 
tember, 1754, when he was elected an alderman of 
the city of New- York. From this period he con- 
tinued to fill various and important trusts under the 
colonial government, till he took a decided and 
energetic stand against the usurpations of Great 
Britain. 

Mr. Livingston was chosen a member of the first 
congress which met at Philadelphia on the 5th 
September, 1774. In this assembly he took a dis- 
tinguished part, and was appointed on the commit- 
tee to prepare an address to the people of Great 
Britain. 

He was re-elected a delegate in 1775, with full 
power to concert with the other delegates from the 
other colonies, upon such measures as should be 



iOl 

judged most eftectual for the preservation and re- 
establishment of American rights and privileges. 

On the 4th July, 1776, he affixed his signature 
to the declaration of independence. 

On the 15th July, 1776, he was chosen by con- 
gress a member of the board of treasury, and on 
the 29th April following, a member of the marine 
committee ; two important trusts, in which the 
safety and well-being of America were essentially 
involved. 

On the 13tli May, 1777, the state convention re- 
elected him to congress, and at the same time 
thanked him and his colleagues for their long and 
faithful services rendered to the colony and state 
of New- York. 

Mr. Livingston's attendance in congress did 
not, however, preclude his employment at home in 
affairs of importance. He served in every capa- 
city in which he could be useful in the councils of 
his state. He assisted in framing a constitution 
for the state, and on its adoption was chosen a 
senator under it. 

In October, 1777, he was re-elected to congress 
under the new constitution, and took his seat in 
congress in May, 1778, one of the most critical and 
gloomy periods of the revolution ; and incessantly 
devoted his whole faculties to the salvation of his 
country. He expired at York, Pennsvlvania, on 
the 12th June, 1778. 

A short time previous to his demise, he sold a ' 
portion of his property to sustain the public cre- 
dit; and though he sensibly felt the approach of 
death, owing to the nature of his complaint, he did 
not hesitate to relinquish the endearments of a be- 
loved family, and devote the last remnant of his 
illustrious life to the service of his country, then 
enveloped in the thickest gloom. 



j<:; 



Lincoln, Benjamin, a major-general in the Ame- 
rican army, was born in Hinsfliam, Massachusetts, 
January 23d, 1733. 

Having at an early period espoused the cause of 
his country as a firm and determined whig, he was 
elected a member of the provincial congress, and 
one of the secretaries of that body, and also a mem- 
ber of the committee of correspondence. 

In 1776, he was appointed by the council of Mas- 
sachusetts a brigadier, and soon after a major- 
general of the militia. 

In October, he marched with a body of militia 
and joined the main army at New-York. In Feb- 
ruary, 1777, congress appointed him a major- 
general in the regular service. 

In July, 1777, general Washington selected him 
to join the northern army under the command of 
general Gates, to oppose the advance of general 
Burgoyne. 

During the sanguinary conflict on the 7th of Oc- 
tober, he received a wound, which badly fractured 
his leg, and was obliged to be taken off the field. 
He was not enabled to join the army, until the fol- 
lowing August, when he was joyfully received by 
general Washington, who well knew how to ap- 
preciate his merit. It was from a developement of 
his estimable character as a man, and his talent as 
a military commander, that he was designated by 
congress for the arduous duties of the chief com- 
mand in the southern department, under innumera- 
ble embarrassments. 

On his arrival at Charleston, December, 1778, 
he found that he had to form an army, to provide 
supplies, and to arrange the various departments, 
that he might be able to cope with an enemy con- 
sisting of experienced oflicers and veteran troops. 

On the 19th of June, 1779, he attacked the ene- 
my, who were strongly posted at Stone Ferry, and 
after a hard fought action, he was obliged to re- 
tire. 



The next event of importance which occurretl, 
was the bold assault on Savannah, in conjunction 
with count D'Estaing, and which proved unsuccess- 
ful. He then repaired to Charleston, and endea- 
voured to put that city in a posture of defence. 

In March, 1780, Sir Henry Clinton appeared be- 
fore that place, with a force not short of 9000 men. 
They commenced a heavy cannonade, and con- 
tinued to besiege it, until tlie 12th May, when he 
was compelled to surrender. Notwithstanding for- 
tune frowned on him, in most of his bold and daring 
enterprises, he still retained his popularity, and the 
confidence of the army, and was considered as a 
most zealous patriot, and the bravest of soldiers. 

'^ Great praise is due to general Lincoln," says 
Dr. Ramsay, "for his judicious and spirited con- 
duct in baffling for three months, the greatly supe- 
rior force of Sir Henry Clinton and admiral Ar- 
buthnot. Though Charleston and the soutliern 
army were lost, yet by their long protracted de- 
fence, the British plans were not only retarded but 
deranged, and North Carolina was saved for the 
remainder of the year 1780." 

In the campaign of 1781, General Lincoln com- 
manded a division under General Washington, and 
at the siege of Yorktown he had his full share of 
the honour of that brilliant and auspicious event. 
The articles of capitulation stipulated for the same 
honour in favour of the surrendering army, as had 
been granted to the garrison of Charleston. He 
was appointed to conduct them to the field where 
their arms were deposited, and received the cus- 
tomary submission. 

In October, 1781, he was chosen by congress 
secretary at war, retaining his rank in the army. 
In this office he continued till October, 1783, when 
he resigned, and received a vote of thanks from 
congress, for his fidelity and diligence in discharg- 
ing the important trust. 



204 

He now retired to his farm. In 1786-7, he was 
appointed to the command of the troops, which 
suppressed the insurrection under Shays and Day. 

In May, 1787, he was elected lieutenant-gover- 
nor of the state of Massachusetts, He was a mem- 
ber of the convention for ratifying the federal con- 
stitution, and in the summer of 1789, he received 
from president Washington, the appointment of 
collector of the port of Boston. This office he 
sustained till being admonished by the increasing 
infirmities of his age, he requested permission to 
resign, about two years before his death. He clos- 
ed his honourable and useful life, on the 9th of 
May, 1810. 

General Lincoln received from the university of 
Cambridge, the honorary degree of master of arts. 
He was one of the first members of the American 
academy of arts and sciences, and a member of the 
Massachusetts historical society. He was also 
president of the society of Cincinnati, from its first 
orafanization to the day of his decease. 



Lee, Richard Henry, president of congress, 
was a native of Virginia, and from his earliest youth 
devoted his talents to the service of his country. 
His public life was distinguished by some remark- 
able circumstances. He had the honour of origi- 
nating the first resistance to British oppression in the 
time of the stamp act in 1765. He proposed in the 
Virginia house of burgesses, in 1773, the formation 
of a committee of correspondence, whose object 
was to disseminate information, and to kindle the 
flame of liberty throughout the continent. He was 
a conspicuous member of the first congress, and 
throughout the contest with Great Britain no mem- 
ber of that enlightened and patriotic body acted 
with more patriotism and zeal. 



205 

In 1784, he was chosen president of congress', 
and continued a member of that body till 1787, 
when the constitution of the United States was 
submitted to the consideration of the people, he 
contended for the necessity of amendment, pre- 
vious to its adoption. 

After the government was organized, he and Mr. 
Grayson were chosen the first senators from Vir- 
ginia, in 1789. This station he held until his re- 
signation, in 1792, when John Taylor was appoint- 
ed in his place. 

He died at Chantilly, in Westmoreland county, 
Virginia, June 22, 1794, in the sixty-third year of 
his age. 

He supported through life the character of a 
philosopher, a patriot, and a sage ; and died as he 
had lived, a blessing to his country. 

The following character of Mr. Lee is from the 
classic pen of William Wirt, Esq. 

"Mr. Lee," says he, "had studied the classics in 
the true spirit of criticism. His taste had that de- 
licate touch which seized with intuitive certainty 
every beauty of an author, and his genius that na- 
tive affinity which combined them without an effort. 
Into every walk of literature and science, he had 
carried this mind of exquisite selection, and 
brought it back to the business of life, crowned 
with every light of learning, and decked with every 
wreath, that all the muses and all the graces could 
entwine. Nor did those light decorations consti- 
tute the whole value of its freight. He possessed 
a rich store of historical and political knowledge, 
Avith an activity of observation, and a certainty of 
judgment, that turned that knowledge to the very 
best account. He was not a lawyer by profession ; 
but he understood thoroughly the constitution both 
of the mother country and of her colonies ; and 
the elements also of the civil and municipal law: 
Thus while his eloquence was free from those stiff 
and technical restraints, which tlie habits of forensic 



206 

speaking are so apt to generate, he had all the 
legal learning which is necessary to a statesman. 
He reasoned well, and declaimed freely and splen- 
didly. Such was his promptitude, that he requir- 
ed no preparation for debate. He was ready for 
any subject as soon as it was announced ; and his 
speech was so copious, so rich, so mellifluous, set 
oif with such cadence of voice, and such captivat- 
ing grace of action, that, while you listened to him, 
you desired to hear nothing superior, and indeed 
thought him perfect." 



Lee, Arthur, M. D. a distinguished statesman, 
was a native of Virginia, and the brother of Richard 
Henry Lee. He received his education at the uni- 
versity of Edinburgh, w^here he also pursued for 
some time the study of medicine. On his return 
to this country, he practised physic four or five 
years in Williamsburgh. He then went to Lon- 
don and commenced the study of the law in the 
temple. During his residence in England, he kept 
his eye upon the measures of government, and ren- 
dered the most important services to his country 
by sending to America the earliest intelligence of 
the plans of the ministry. When the instructions 
to governor Bernard were sent over, he at the 
same time communicated information to the town 
of Boston respecting the nature of them. He re- 
turned, it is believed, before 1769, for in that year 
he published the Monitor's letters in vindication of 
the colonial rights. 

In 1775, he was sent to London as the agent of 
Virginia, and in the same year presented the se- 
cond petition of congress to the king. All his 
exertions were now directed to the welfare of his 
country. W^hen Mr. Jefierson declined the ap- 
pointment of a minister to France, he was appointed 



207 

in his place, and joined his colleagues, Dr. Frank- 
lin and Mr. Deane, at Paris, in December, 1776. 
He assisted in negotiating the treaty with France. 

On Dr. Franklin being appointed sole minister 
to France, Dr. Lee returned home, and was after- 
wards appointed one of the commissioners for 
holding a treaty with the Indians of the Six Na- 
tions. He accordingly went to fort Schuyler and 
executed this trust in a manner which did him 
much honour. 

After a short illness, he died at Urbanna, in Mid- 
dlesex county, Virginia, December 14, 1792. 

He was a man of uniform patriotism, of a sound 
understanding, of great probity, of plain manners, 
and strong passions. During his residence in Eng- 
land, he was indefatigable in his exertions to pro- 
mote the interests of his country. To the abilities 
of a statesman he united the acquisitions of a 
scholar. He was a member of the philosophical 
society. 



Logan, James, an eminent scholar, was born in 
Scotland, about the year 1674. He was one of the 
people called quakers, and accompanied William 
Fenn in his last voyage to Pennsylvania. For many 
years of his life he was employed in public busi- 
ness, and rose to the offices of chief justice and 
governor of the province : but he felt always an 
ardour of study, and by husbanding his leisure 
hours, found time to write several treatises in La- 
tin, of which one on the generation of plants, was 
translated into English by Dr. Fothergill. Wlien 
advanced in years, he withdrew from the tumult of 
public business to the solitude of his country seat, 
near Germantown, where he corresponded with the 
most distinguished literary characters of Europe. 



208 

He also published a version of *' Cicero de Se- 
nectute/' which was published with notes by Dr. 
Franklin. 

He died in 1751, at the age of seventy-seven, 
leaving his library, which he had been fifty years 
in collecting, to the city of Philadelphia. It con- 
sisted of above one hundred volumes of authors in 
folio, all in Greek, with mostly their versions : all 
the Roman classics without exception : all the 
Greek mathematicians, viz. Archimedes, Euclid, 
Ptolemy, both his Geography and Almagest, with 
Theon's Commentary, besides many of the most 
valuable Latin authors, and a great number of mo- 
dern mathematicians, with all the three editions of 
Newton, Dr. Wallis, Halley, &c. This valuable 
collection of books, usually called the "Loganian 
Library," is now deposited in a large room built 
for the purpose adjoining the city library. The 
two libraries in connexion contain near thirty thou- 
sand volumes, — the largest collection of books in 
the .United States. 



Lynch, Thomas, jun. one of the signers of the 
declaration of independence, was born in South 
Carolina, August 5, 1749. 

His father, who was one of the wealthiest men 
of that state, superintended the instructions of his 
son, and in his thirteenth year sent him to England 
to complete his education. On his arrival in that 
country, he was placed at Eton school, preparatory 
to his admission as gentleman commoner at the 
university of Cambridge. At this institution he 
afterwards took his degrees. 

In 1772, after an absence of eight or nine years, 
Mr. Lynch returned to his native state under the 
most promising auspices. 



209 

Few men had ever returned to America more 
accomplished in the most valuable sense of the 
term. With ample stores of knowledge, won from 
the solid parts of human learning, embellished by 
the graces of polite literature, possessing easy and 
insinuating manners, combined with a powerful 
and fascinating elocution, he was enabled at once 
to impress that community, in which he was des- 
tined to spend his short life, with a decided con- 
viction of his great fitness for public confidence 
and distinction. 

Shortly after his arri\*al, Mr. Lynch made his 
debut as a public speaker, at one of the town-meet- 
ings at Charleston, for the purpose of taking into 
consideration some of the accumulated injuries in- 
flicted on us by the mother country. 

In 1775, Mr. Lynch was elected to represent his 
state in congress, in the place of his father, who 
was obliged to resign on account of his extreme ill 
health. 

On his arrival at Philadelphia, he took his seat 
ill the congress of 1776, an assembly the most au- 
gust that the world has ever witnessed. Here he 
succeeded in fixing a just impression of his exalt- 
ed character, superior intellect, and persuasive 
eloquence. He had not been, however, idong in 
congress before his health began to decline with 
the most alarming , rapidity. He" was, however, 
enabled to give his full sanction to those measures 
which were tending, with irresistible efiicacy, to 
the declaration of independence. One of the last 
acts of his political life was to afiix his signature 
to this important manifesto. 

During the early part of the services of Mr. Lynch 
in congress, his father remained in Philadelphia. 
He had experienced a temporary alleviation from 
his bodily sufferings ; and his physicians advised 
him to travel. He lived only to reach Annapolis, 
wdiere he expired in the arms of his son, in the 
autumn of 1776. 

27 



210 

The afflicted suiviver, after this distresBiiig eveat, 
at the request of his physician, prepared to take a 
voyage to the south of France. He accordingly in 
the year 1779, sailed in a ship commanded by cap- 
tain Morgan, accompanied by his amiable lady, 
whose conjugal devotion increased with the declin- 
ing health of her husband. 

In this voyage, they unfortunately terminated 
their mortal career. The circumstances of their 
fate are veiled in impenetrable obscurity. But it 
is supposed that the ship foundered at sea. 

Such, it is most probable, was the fate of this dis- 
tinguished patriot. And although he sleepeth on 
the "ocean's wave," his name is destined to be as 
permanent as are the foundations of her wide do- 
main. 



ni 



Morris, Robert, one of the signers of the de- 
claration of independence, and an eminent finan- 
cier, was born January 20, 1734. 

At the age of fifteen he lost his father. Soon 
after his death, he was taken into the counting- 
house of Charles Willing, Esq. of Philadelphia, 
where he served a regular apprenticeship. In a 
year or two after the expiration of his indentures, 
he entered into partnership with Mr. Thomas Wil- 
ling. This connexion continued for the long period 
of thirty-nine years ; and previously to the com- 
mencement of the American war, it Avas at the 
summit of commercial distinction. 

Few men in the American colonies were more 
alive to the gradual encroachment of the British 
government upon the liberties of the people, and 
none more ready to remonstrate against them. 
His signature on the part of his mercantile house 
to the non-importation agreement, evinced the con- 
sistency of his principles and conduct, and at the 
same time was expressive of his willingness to pre- 
fer a sacrifice of private interest to the continuance 
of an intercourse which would add to the revenue 
of the government that oppressed them. 

In consideration of his general intelligence, his 
high standing in society, and his patriotic exer- 
tions, he was appointed by the legislature of Penn- 
sylvania a member of the second congress, which 
met at Philadelphia in 1775. 

A few weeks after he had taken his seat, he was 
added to the secret committee, and was employed 
in financial arrangements of the greatest impor- 
tance to the operations of the army and navy. 

He frequently obtained pecuniary and other sup- 
plies on his own account, wliieli were most press- 



2m 

ingly required, when at the tiMe it would have 
been impossible to have procured them on the ac- 
count of government. 

It was by his timely compliance on one of these 
occasions, which enabled general Washington to 
gain the important victory at Trenton. Many other 
similar instances occurred of this patriotic inter- 
position of his own responsibility for supplies and 
money, which could not otherwise have been ob- 
tained. 

On the 4th of July, 1776, he signed the ever 
memorable declaration of independence, that for 
ever separated us from England, and thus pledged 
himself to join heart and hand with the destinies 
of his country, while some of his colleagues, who 
possessed less firmness, drew back, and retired 
from the contest. 

He was thrice successively elected to congress, 
in 1776, '77, and '78, and was one of its most use- 
ful and indefatigable members. 

The free and public expression of his senti- 
ments upon all occasions, and the confident tone 
of ultimate success which he supported, served to 
rouse the desponding, to fix the wavering, and con- 
firm the brave. 

To trace him through all the acts of his poli- 
tical and financial administration, would be to 
make a history of the last two years of the revo- 
lutionary war. When the exhausted credit of the 
government threatened the most alarming conse- 
quences ; when the soldiers were utterly destitute 
of the necessary supplies of food and clothing 
when the military chest had been drained of its 
last dollar, and even the intrepid confidence of 
Washington was shaken; upon his own credit, 
and from his own private resources, did he fur- 
nish those pecuniary means, but for which the phy- 
sical energies of the country, exerted to their ut- 
most, would have been scarcely competent to se- 
cure that prompt and glorious issue which ensued. 



^^13 

In the year 1781, he was appointed by congress 
*' superintendent of finance," an office for the first 
time established. 

One of the first acts of his financial govern- 
ment was the proposition to congress, of his plan 
for the establishment of the bank of North Ame- 
rica, which was chartered forthwith, and opened 
on the 7th January, 1782. 

On his.tretirement from office, it was affirmed, 
by two or the Massachusetts delegates, that "it 
cost congress at the rate of eighteen millions per 
annum, hard dollars, to carry on the war, till he was 
chosen financier, and then it cost them but about 
five millions!" 

No man ever had more numerous concerns com- 
mitted to his charge, and few to greater amount ; 
and never did any one more faithfully discharge 
the various complicated trusts with greater des- 
patch, economy, or credit, than the subject of this 
sketch. 

By letter to the commissioners of the treasury 
board, he resigned his office of superintendent of 
finance, September 30, 1784. 

The next public service rendered by Mr. Mor- 
ris to his country, was as a member of the conven- 
tion that formed the federal constitution in the year 
1787. He also represented Philadelphia in the 
first congress, that sat at New- York after th' ratifi- 
cation of the federal compact by the number of 
states required thereby, to establish it as the grand 
basis of the law of the land. 

At length, worn down by public labour, and 
private misfortunes, he rapidly approached the 
mansion appointed for all living ; the lamp of life 
glimmered in its socket ; and that great and good 
man sunk into the tomb, on the 8th May, 1806, in 
the seventy-third year of his age. 

The memory of a man of such distinguished uti- 
lity cannot be lost; and while the recollection of 
his multiplied services are deeply engraven on the 



2U 

tablet of our hearts, let us hope that the day is not 
distant, when some public monument, recording 
the most momentous occurrences of his life, and 
characteristic of national feeling and gratitude, 
may mark the spot where rest the remains of Ro- 
bert Morris. 



Morgan, Daniel, a brigadier-general in the army 
©f the United States, was born in the state of New- 
Jersey, and from thence removed to Virginia, in the 
year 1755. 

At the commencement of the revolutionary war, 
he was appointed captain of a rifle corps, at the 
head of which he marched immediately to the 
American head-quarters at Cambridge, near Bos- 
ton. 

By order of the commander-in-chief, he soon 
afterwards joined in the expedition against Que- 
bec, and was made prisoner in the attempt on that 
fortress, where Arnold was wounded and Montgo- 
mery fell. During the assault, his daring valour 
and persevering gallantry, attracted the notice and 
the admiration of the enemy. The assailing co- 
lumn to which he belonged, was led by Arnold. 
When that officer was wounded, and carried from 
the ground, he threw himself into the lead; and 
rushing forward, passed the first and second bar- 
riers. For a moment victory appeared certain. 
But the fall of Montgomery, closing the prospect, 
the assailants were repulsed, and the enterprise 
abandoned. 

He was taken prisoner, and during his confine- 
ment was treated with great kindness. On being 
exchanged, he immediately rejoined the American 
army; and received, by the recommendation of 
general Washington, the command of a regiment. 



i^l5 

He was afterwards detached by the commander- 
in-chief to the assistance of general Gates, and 
assisted in the capture of general Burgoyne and 
his army. 

On this occasion his services were beyond all 
praise, and contributed much to the glory of the 
achievement. 

After the capture of Burgoyne, he rejoined the 
main army, and was always employed by the com- 
mander-in-chief in the most hazardous enterprises. 

In 1780, he received the appointment of briga- 
dier-general, and was ordered to join the southern 
army. Here he added fresh laurels to his fame by 
the victory he obtained over the British army at 
the battle of the Cowpens. This masterly achieve- 
ment now ranked him among the most illustrious 
defenders of his country. In commemoration of 
the importance of this victory, congress ordered a 
golden medal to be presented to him. He re- 
mained with the army till the close of the war, per- 
forming the most important services for his coun- 
try. 

He was afterwards elected a member to con- 
gress, the duties of which station he filled with 
great dignity. He died at his seat, near Winches- 
ter, Virginia, in the year 1797. 

General Morgan, was in his manners plain and 
decorous, neither insinuating nor repulsive. His 
mind was discriminating and solid, but not com- 
prehensive and combining. His conversation was 
grave, sententious, and considerate. He reflected 
deeply, spoke little, and executed with ke^ perse- 
verance whatever he undertook. 

He was indulgent in his military command, pre- 
ferring always the affections of his troops to that 
dread and awe, which snrround the rigid disci- 
plinarian. 



216 

Montgomery, Richard, a major-general in the 
American army, was born about the year 1737. He 
possessed an excellent genius which was matured 
by a fine education. 

Entering the army of Great Britain, he success- 
fully fought her battles with Wolfe at Quebec, in 
1759, and on the very spot where he was doomed 
to fall when fighting against her, under the ban- 
ners of freedom. When our struggles with Great 
Britain commenced, he ardently espoused the cause 
of liberty, and was appointed by congress to the 
command of the continental forces in the northern 
department. 

In the fall of 1775, he marched into Canada, 
took forts Chamblee and St. John's, and on the 
12th November he took Montreal. In December, 
he joined Arnold before Quebec, and on the 31st, 
made a general assault on the city. He bravely 
advanced at the head of his troops, but was killed 
at the onset. This event, no doubt, saved the city, 
and was the ultimate cause of preventing the whole 
province of Canada from falling into the hands of 
the Americans. 

He was a man of great military talents, whose 
measures were taken with judgment, and executed 
with vigour. 

By the direction of congress, a monument of 
white marble, of the most beautiful simplicity, with 
emblematical devices, was executed by Mr. Cas- 
siers, at Paris, and is erected to his memory in 
front of St. Paul's church, New-York. 



Morton, Nathaniel, the historian of Plymouth 
colony, was one of the first planters of New-Ply- 
mouth. As a. writer of the original events of the 
plantations, he is known to all who turn their at- 
tention to the affairs of New-England. No book 



217 

has oftener been quoted than '^ Morton's Memorial." 
In this book are precious documents for the use of 
future historians, who recur to early times. It was. 
printed in 1669, and has since gone through many 
editions. 

In 1680, he wrote a brief ecclesiastical history 
of the church at Plymouth. 



Moultrie, William, governor of South Caro- 
lina, and a major-general in the American war, was 
devoted to the service of his country from an early 
period of his life. 

He was among the foremost at the commence- 
ment of the late revolution to assert the liberties 
of his country, and braved every danger to redress 
her wrongs. His manly firmness, intrepid zeal, 
and cheerful exposure of every thing which he pos- 
sessed, added weight to his counsels, and induced 
others to join him. 

In 1776, for his brave defence of Sullivan's Island^ 
he received the unanimous thanks of congress. 

In 1779, he gained a victory over the British in 
the battle near Beaufort. 

In 1780, he was second in command in Charles- 
ton during the siege of that place. 

He was repeatedly chosen governor of that state, 
till the infirmities of age induced him to withdraw 
to the peaceful retreat of domestic life. He died 
at Charleston, September 27, 1805, in the seventy- 
sixth year of his age. 

He published memoirs of the American revolu- 
tion, so far as it related to North and South Caro- 
lina, and Georgia, two volumes, octavo, 1802. 



Z i u 

Mo.NROE, James, LL. D. tiftli president of the 
United States, was born in Westmoreland county, 
Virginia, May 15, 1759, and graduated at the col- 
lege of William and Mary, the alma 7nater of many 
of our most distinguished statesmen, 1776. He 
immediately joined the standard of his country, 
and bravely fought in the actions of Haerlem 
Heights, White Plains, and Trenton. In this last 
affair he was dangerously wounded, and for his in- 
trepid conduct was rewarded by promotion. In the 
campaigns of 1777 and 1778, he acted as aid-de- 
camp to lord Stirling, and was engaged in the bat- 
tles of Brandy wine, Germantown, and Monmouth. 
In these battles his conduct was marked by the 
distinguished approbation of the commander-in- 
chief. 

In 1780, after the capture of Charleston, he vi- 
sited the southern army, then under the (command 
of Baron de Kalb, at the request of governor Jef- 
ferson, in the character of a military commissioner. 
In the latter part of this year, he commenced 
the study of law, in the office of governor Jeffer- 
son. 

In 1782, he commenced his legislative career as 
a member of the assembly of Virginia, and shortly 
after was called to a seat in the executive council. 

In 1783, he was elected a member of the con- 
gress of the United States, and continued to fill 
that station with great ability for three years. 

In 1787, he was a member of the grand conven- 
tion which met to frame a constitution for the 
United States, and although the youngest member 
of that august body, the course that he pursued 
acquired for him a fame as lasting as the constitu- 
tion itself. 

He was a member of the Virginia convention, 
which was amongst the first to adopt it. 

Soon after the adoption of the federal constitu- 
tion, he was elected a member of the senate of the 
United States, and bore a conspicuous part in the 



219 

establishment of the judiciary and financial sys- 
tem, and aided essentially in organizing the de- 
partment of state, the treasury, the army, and the 
navy. 

In 1794, he was appointed by president Wash- 
ington, minister plenipotentiary to the court of 
France. Here, the unadorned majesty of his cha- 
racter shone with a lustre, which, while it conci- 
liated the ardent leaders of the French revolu- 
tionists, maintained, unimpaired, the exalted admi- 
nistration of Washington. 

On his return home, he was elected, in 1799, 
governor of Virginia. At the expiration of the con- 
stitutional term, he declined a re-election, and re- 
ceived a unanimous vote of thanks for the faith- 
ful, dignified, and impartial manner in which he 
had discharged the duties of chief magistrate. 

In 1802, he was appointed by president Jeffer- 
son, in conjunction with Mr. Livingston, then resi- 
dent minister in France, envoy extraordinary and 
minister plenipotentiary to that country ; and he 
was empowered to act, in concert with Mr. C. 
Pinckney, in the same character in Spain. In this 
embassy he exhibited profound talents as a diplo- 
matist, and assisted in the purchase of the territory 
of Louisiana. 

He next repaired to London, in the summer of 
1803, to succeed Mr. King, who had requested per- 
mission to return home. 

In 1806, Mr. Pinckney, a distinguished advocate 
of the Maryland bar, was associated with Mr. Mon- 
roe, under a special mission, to negotiate with lords 
Holland and Auckland for Great Britain. By 
these commissioners a treaty was formed ; but its 
provisions were so exceptionable in the view of 
president Jetferson, that he took upon himself to 
return it. Several attempts were made by our com- 
missioners to bring matters to a more acceptable 
result, but witliout success. The aftair of the 



220 

Chesapeake produced a rupture between the two 
governments, and Mr. Monroe returned home. 

In 1810, he was again called to the gubernatorial 
chair of his native state, and while in the exercise 
of this office, in the following year, he was appoint- 
ed by president Madison secretary of state. In 
this station the scholar, the patriot, and the states- 
man shone conspicuously. No British subtilty 
could enthrall — no vapid promises allure — no me- 
nacing tone could deter the secretary. The firm lan- 
guage of remonstrance gave place to the sonorous 
notes of war. Hostilities commenced against Great 
Britain, and he was called upon to discharge also 
the duties of secretary at war. Thus, upon one 
day he had to act a significant part in the cabinet — 
upon another, to give an official direction to the 
thunders of Plattsburgh, the Canadian peninsula^ 
and New-Orleans. 

In 1817, he succeeded Mr. Madison in the presi- 
dential chair ; and during a happy administration of 
eiglit years, which has passed away in a period of 
profound peace, a public debt of sixty millions 
has been discharged; the internal taxes have been 
repealed ; relief has been granted to the aged and 
indigent among the surviving warriors of the revo- 
lution ; the Floridas have been acquired ; and our 
boundary has been extended to the Pacific ocean ; 
the independence of the states of South America 
has been recognised ; the African traffic in slaves 
has been suppressed; the interior regions of the 
United States have been explored; provision has 
been made for cultivating the mind of the Abori- 
gines and turning their attention to the cultivation of 
the soil; and in preparing by scientific researches 
and surveys, for the further application of our na- 
tional resources to the internal improvement of our 
country. 



221 

Murray, William Vans, a distinguished states" 
man, was born in Maryland, in the year 1761. 
Having received an education preparatory to the 
practice of the law, immediately after the peace of 
1783, he went to London and resided three years 
as a student in the temple. On his return to his 
native country, he commenced the practice of the 
law; but the voice of his country soon called him 
to her councils. 

From 1791 to 1797, he was a member of the 
house of representatives of the United States. This 
station he filled with distinguished honour. His 
eloquence in debate placed him in the same rank 
with Madison, Ames, and Dexter. 

President Washington, in consideration of his dis- 
tinguished talents as a statesman, appointed him 
minister plenipotentiary to the Batavian republic. 
He arrived at the Hague at a very critical period of 
affairs; for the misunderstanding between the 
United States and France was approaching to a 
rupture, and the influence of the latter over the Ba- 
tavian councils were uncontrolled. But by a judi- 
cious mixture of firmness, of address, and of con- 
ciliation, he succeeded in preserving uninterrupted 
harmony between the American and Batavian na- 
tions; and the first advances towards the restora- 
tion of the harmony between this country and 
France, were made between Mr. Murray and Mr. 
Pichon, then charge des affairs at the Hague. 

These led to certain propositions for a renewal 
of direct negotiation, which he transmitted to his 
government. 

Such was the confidence of president Adams 
in Mr. Murray, that he immediately nominated him 
as sole envoy extraordinary to the French republic 
to prosecute the negotiation. The treaty was sign- 
ed at Paris, September 30, 1800, and has contri- 
buted in a great degree to the present prosperity 
of America. 



222 

In 1801, he returned to the United States, and 
retired to his seat at Cambridge, Maryland. 

He died December 11, 1803. In private life he 
was remarkably pleasing in his manners. With a 
mind of incessant activity, he united the fancy of a 
poet. 

His facility in writing was proportioned to the 
vivacity of his mind. His letters, by their elegance, 
their simplicity, their poignant wit, and unbounded 
variety of style, will long establish his claim as a 
man of genius and of literature. 



fmrnt 



MiNOT, George Richards, a historian of Massa- 
chusetts, was born in Boston, December 28, 1758. 
He entered Harvard college in 1774, and was there 
distinguished for decorum of behaviour, a most 
amiable disposition, and close attention to his stu- 
dies, and excelled particularly in history and the 
belles lettres. He was graduated in 1778. Hav- 
ing pursued the study of the law under the care of 
the honourable William Tudor, he began its prac- 
tice with a high reputation and with fixed princi- 
ples and habits. 

In 1781, he was appointed clerk of the house of 
representatives of Massachusetts. While in this 
office, the duties of which he discharged with fide- 
lity and impartiality, the causes which produced 
the insurrection were operating, and he had an 
opportunity of being well acquainted with all that 
occurred. These troubles of our country he re- 
viewed in an historical narrative of the rebellion, 
which gave him high reputation as an author. He 
afterwards wrote a history of Massachusetts bay, in 
continuation of Hutchinson, and is a model of his- 
torical eloquence. 

Of the convention of Massachusetts which con- 
sidered the constitution of the United States, he 



22;3 

was chosen secretary. In 1792, he was appointed 
judge of probate for the county of Suffolk, and se- 
veral years afterwards judge of the municipal court 
in Boston. 

He was one of the founders of the Massachusetts 
historical society. He was also a fellow of the 
American academy of arts and sciences. He died 
January 2, 1802. 



Mifflin, Thomas, one of the signers of the fede- 
ral constitution, and major-general in the ^army of 
the United States, was born about the year 1744. 
His education was intrusted to the care of the Rev. 
Dr. Smith, provost of the university of Pennsyl- 
vania, with whom he was connected in habits of 
cordial intimacy and friendship for more than forty 
years. At an early period of our struggles he zeal- 
ously espoused the cause of his country, and ably 
advocated the liberties of the people against the 
usurpations of tyranny. 

In 1774, he was elected a member of the first 
congress. 

In 1775, on the organization of the continental 
army, he was appointed quarter-master-general. 

In 1787, he was a member of the convention 
which framed the constitution of the United States, 
and his name is affixed to that instrument. 

In 1788, he succeeded Dr. Franklin as president 
of the supreme executive council of Pennsylvania, 
in which station he continued till 1790. In Sep- 
tember, a constitution of this state was formed by 
a convention, in which he presided, and was cho- 
sen the first governor. 

In 1794, he contributed not a little by his elo- 
quence and activity to restore order and peace 
among the insurrectionists of Pennsylvania. 



224 

He was succeeded in the office of governor by 
Mr. M'Kean at the close of the year 1799, and died 
at Lancaster January 20, 1800, in the fifty-seventh 
year of his age. He was an active and zealous 
patriot, who had devoted much of his life in the 
service of his country. 



Mayhew, Jonathan, DD. a learned divine, was 
born at Martha's Vineyard, October 8, 1720. He 
was educated at Harvard college, and received the 
honours of that seminary in 1744. While he was 
a youth he exhibited marks of an original genius, 
and such strength of mind as was very uncom- 
mon. 

After being occupied for some time in the study 
of theology, he was ordained the minister of the 
West church in Boston, June 17, 1747. He soon 
exhibited a liberality of sentiment and boldness 
of spirit which excited great surprise. 

He spoke with great sensibility against every 
priestly usurpation over the consciences of men, 
and with peculiar earnestness in favour of truth 
and religion. He was an unshaken friend of civil 
and religious liberty, and the spirit which breathed 
in his writings, transfused itself into the minds of 
many of his fellow citizens, and had no little in- 
fluence in producing those great events, which 
took place after his death. He was the associate 
of Otis and other patriots in resisting the arbitrary 
claims of Great Britain. 

He was a whig of the first magnitude. In his 
sermon on the repeal of the stamp act, 1766, he 
remarks. "Having been initiated in the doctrines 
of civil liberty as they were taught by such men as 
Plato, Demosthenes, Cicero, and other renowned 
persons, among the ancients: and such as Sidney 



225 

and Milton, Locke, and Hoadley, among the mo- 
derns. I liked them ; they seemed rational 

"And having learned from the holy scriptures 
that wise, brave, and virtuous men were always 
friends to liberty; that God gave the Israelites a 
king in his anger, because they had not sense and 
virtue enough to like a free commonwealth ; and 
where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty:" 
this made me conclude, " that freedom was a great 
blessing." 

He believed it to be his duty to promote the hap- 
piness of his brethren in every possible way, and 
he therefore took a deep interest in political con- 
cerns. 

He died suddenly, July 8, 1766. No American 
author ever obtained higher reputation. He would 
have done honour to any country by his character, 
or by his writings. 

He possessed superior powers of mind. In clas- 
sical learning he held an eminent rank. His writ- 
ings evince a mind capable of making the nicest 
moral distinctions, and of grasping the most ab- 
struse metaphysical truths. Among the corre- 
spondents which his literary character or his at- 
tachment to liberty gained him abroad, were Lard- 
ner, Benson, Keppis, Blackburne, and Hollis. 

His writings are numerous and valuable. 



Morgan, John, M. D. F. R. S. a learned physi- 
cian, was ]3orn in the city of Philadelphia, in the 
year 1735. 

In 1757, he was admitted to the first literary ho- 
nours in the college of Philadelphia, and commenc- 
ed soon after the study of physic under the care of 
Dr. John Redman, late president of the college of 
physicians. 

29 



J26 

With a view of procjecutiiig his studies in medi- 
cine, he repaired to Europe, and after attending 
the lectures of the celebrated William Hunter, he 
spent two years at Edinburgh, where he received 
the instructions of Munroe, Cullen, Hope, Ruther- 
ford, and Whytt. He then published an elaborate 
thesis upon pus, and was admitted to the degree of 
doctor of medicine. From Edinburgh he went to 
Paris, and passed a winter in attendance upon the 
anatomical lectures of Mr. Sue. 

He also visited Holland and Italy, and in both of 
these countries he was fondly received by the 
first medical and literary characters. He had the 
honour of a long conference with the celebrated 
Morgagni at Padua, and with Voltaire at Geneva. 
On his return to England he was selected a fellow 
of the royal society of London. He was also elect- 
ed a member of the college of physicians of Lon- 
don and Edinburgh. During his absence he con- 
certed with Dr. Shippen the plan of a medical 
school in Philadelphia, and on his arrival in 1765, 
was immediately elected professor of the theory 
and practice of medicine in the college of that city. 

In 1769, he saw the fruits of his labours, for in 
that year five young gentlemen received the first 
honours in medicine that were conferred in Ame- 
rica. 

He was active in establishing the American phi- 
losophical society in 1769. 

In 1775, he was appointed by congress director- 
general and physician-in-chief to the general hos- 
pitals of the American army. 

He died October 15, 1789, in the fifty-fourth year 
of his age. 

He published " Tentamen Modicum de puris 
Confectione." 1 763. 



227 

Morris, Gouverneur, one of the signers of the 
federal constitution, was born in New-York, about 
the year 1751. 

At the age of twenty-four he commenced his po- 
litical career as a member of the provincial con- 
gress of his native state. He rendered himself ^ 
conspicuous by taking the lead in all measures con- \ 
ducive to the welfare of his country. ^^ 

In 1778, he was elected a member of the general 
congress, and soon after taking his seat in that en- 
lightened assembly, he was appointed one of the 
committee to report on the treaty which had been 
negotiated with France. And while a member of 
that body, the public journals amply bear testimo- 
ny of the consideration in which his patriotism and 
talents were held. 

After the close of the war he removed to Phila- 
delphia, where he was again called to act in the 
councils of the nation. 

In 1787, he was appointed by the legislature of 
Pennsylvania a member of the grand convention 
which met at Philadelphia to frame the constitu- 
tion of the United States. 

In 1792, he was appointed by president Wash- 
ington minister plenipotentiary to the court of 
France. 

On his return home, he was elected a member 
of the senate of the United States. In this body 
he took a distinguished part in the ever memor- 
able debate on the repeal of the judiciarjr law, to 
which he was opposed. 

He died at his seat near New-York, after a short 
illness, October 10, 1816. 

There are few men to whom we are so much in- 
debted for our independence. His labours were 
faithful, enlightened, and ui;iwearied. 



Marshall, John, LL. D. chief justice of the 
United States, was born in Virginia, about the year 
1756. Soon after leaving college he joined the 
American army, and assisted in repelling the ene- 
my under lord Dunmore from the shores of Virgi- 
nia. He afterwards joined the main army under 
general Washington, and fought his country's bat- 
tles till the capture of Cornwallis, when he com- 
menced the study of the law, and in a short time 
rose to distinguished eminence in his profession. 

In 1788, he was appointed a delegate of the con- 
vention which met at Richmond to revise and adopt 
the federal constitution. In this enlightened and 
patriotic body he stood pre-eminent, and bore a 
conspicuous part in the discussions which preced- 
ed its adoption. 

In 1797, he was appointed by president Adams 
envoy to France. In this capacity, he exhibited 
profound talents as a diplomatist — and his nego- 
tiations with that court are an honour to his ta- 
lents and to his country. 

On his return home he was appointed secretary 
of state, and in the following year he was appoint- 
ed by president Jefferson chief justice of the United 
States. 

Since his appointment to this high trust, he has 
published the life of general Washington, written 
in a style remarkable for its clearness, simplicity, 
and strength. 

He has also published a history of the colonies, 
one volume octavo, 1824. 



Mather, Increase, DD. president of Harvard 
college, was born at Dorchester, Massachusetts, 
June 21, 1639. He was graduated at the college, 
of which he afterwards became president, in 1656. 
After a period of four years, which he passed in 



229 

travelling in England and Ireland, he returned to 
America. Having previously commenced the study 
of divinity, on his return, he was invited to preach at 
North church, in Boston, and was ordained pastor 
of that church in 1664. 

In 1683, when king Charles II. expressed his 
wish that the charter of Massachusetts might be 
resigned into his hands, Dr. Mather zealously op- 
posed a compliance with his majesty's pleasure, 
and used all his influence to persuade the people 
not to surrender their charter, and published his 
reasons. In 1688, he sailed for England as agent 
of the province, to procure a redress of grievances. 
After several years of important services, he return- 
ed with a new charter, May 14, 1692. During the 
witchcraft delusion, he opposed the violent mea- 
sures which were adopted. 

He wrote a book to prove that the devil might 
appear in the shape of an innocent man, by means 
of which a number of persons, convicted of witch- 
craft, escaped the execution of the sentence. Af- 
ter the death of Mr. Oakes, in 1681, the care of 
Harvard college devolved upon him, and over which 
he presided until September 6, 1701, when he re- 
signed in consequence of an act of the general 
court, requiring the president to reside at Cam- 
bridge. He was unwilling to leave his church, 
though his son, Dr. Cotton Mather, had been set- 
tled as his colleague for several years. 

He was called the father of the New-England 
clergy, and his name and character were held in 
high veneration, not only by those who knew him, 
but by succeeding generations. 

After a long life of benevolent exertion, he died 
in Boston, August 23, 1723, in the eighty-fifth year 
of his age. 

He was a man of great learning, and of exten- 
sive influence. Sixteen hours every day were com- 
monly spent in his study. Soon after his return 
from England, he procured an act, authorizing the 



230 

college to create bachelors and doctors of theolo- 
gy ; which power was not given by its former char- 
ter. As a president, he was careful not only to 
give the students direction in their literary pursuits, 
but also impart to them with the affection of a pa- 
rent, the importance of renouncing sin, and em- 
bracing the gospel of Christ. Such was his bene- 
volence, that he devoted a tenth part of all his in- 
come to charitable purposes. 

His theological and philosophical " publications 
amount to the number of eighty-five. Among 
which are the following : " History of the War with 
the Indians," 1676 ; " Cometographia, or a^ Dis- 
course concerning Comets," 1683 ; " The Doctrine 
of Divine Providence," 1684 ; " De Successu Evan- 
gelii upud Indos," 1688 ; " On the future Conversion 
of the Jews, confuting Dr. Lightfoot and Mr. Bax- 
ter," 1709; "Diatribe de Signo Filii Hominis, et 
de secundo Messise adventu;" and " Elijah's Man- 
tle," 1722. 



Mather, Cotton, DD. F. R. S. an eminent divine 
and philosopher, was born in Boston, February 12, 
1663. He was distinguished for early piety, and 
at the age of fourteen, he strictly kept days of se- 
cret fasting and prayer. At the age of fifteen he 
graduated at Harvard college, having made uncom- 
mon proficiency in his studies. At this early pe- 
riod of his life he drew up systems of the sciences, 
and wrote remarks upon the books which he read, 
and thus matured his understanding. At the age 
of seventeen he approached the Lord's table, with 
affectionate reliance upon Jesus Christ for salva- 
tion. Having been occupied for some time in the 
study of theology, he was ordained minister of the 
North church in Boston, as colleague with his fa- 
ther, Dr. Increase Mather. May 13, 1684. Here 



231 

he passed his days, unwearied and unceasing in his 
exertions to promote the glory of his Maker, and 
the highest welfare of his brethren. He died in 
the assurance of christian faith, February 13, 1728, 
aged 65 years. 

Dr. Mather was a man of unequalled industry, of 
vast learning, of unfeigned piety, and of most dis- 
interested and expansive benevolence. He was 
also distinguished for his credulity and his pedan- 
try. No person in America had so large a library, 
or had read so many books, or retained so much of 
what he read. So precious did he consider time, 
that to prevent visits of unnecessary length, he 
wrote over his study-door in capital letters, " be 
short." His social talents and his various know- 
ledge, rendered his conversation interesting and 
instructive. Every morning he usually read a 
chapter of the Old Testament in Hebrew, and 
another in French, and a chapter of the New Tes- 
tament in Greek. Besides the French, he under- 
stood also the Spanish and Iroquois, and in these 
languages he published treatises. 

He was a most voluminous writer ; his works 
amount to three hundred and eighty-two. As he 
published his works of piety, he put them into the 
hands of persons to whom he thought they would 
be useful ; and he received the benedictions of ma- 
ny dying believers, who spoke of his labours as the 
means of their salvation. 

Among the works best known, are his " Magna- 
lia Christi Americana," two volumes octavo, new 
edition. " Essays to do Good." Dr. Franklin as- 
cribed all his usefulness in the world to his reading 
this book in early life. It has been reprinted in 
England and America a number of times. "Chris- 
tian Philosopher," 1721 ; '* Life of Increase Ma- 
ther ;" " Ratio disciplinse Fratrum," Nov. An- 

glorum ;" " Biblia Americana." This learned work, 
which it was once proposed to publish in three folio 



232 

volumes, is now in the library of the Massachusetts 
historical society. 

His literary distinctions were chiefly from abroad. 
The university of Glasgow presented him with a 
diploma of doctor in divinity ; and his name is 
on the list of the felloAvs of the royal society in 
London. 



Madison, James, fourth president of the United 
States, was born in Orange county, Virginia, March 
5, 1750. At the age of sixteen, he entered Prince- 
ton college, and received the honours of that semi- 
nary in the year 1769. On his return to Virginia, 
he immediately commenced the study of the law, 
in the ofl[ice of the late chancellor Wythe. Pre- 
vious to the year 1775, he discharged the duties of 
several important offices with superior talents and 
fidelity, and in the autumn of that year, w;as elected 
a member of the legislature of Virginia. Although 
very young, his profound views of the interests of 
his country were far in advance of his years, and 
not behind the older members of that enlightened 
body. He was soon after elected a member, and 
took his seat in the old congress, where he shone 
conspicuous for the boldness of his views, and the 
force and vigour of his eloquence. After the peace 
of 1783, the United States were left without any 
efficient government, and connected only by the 
articles of confederation. Each state was an in- 
dependent sovereignty, and pursued its own sepa- 
rate plans of policy. The necessity of an efficient 
government was apparent, and it was therefore 
deemed necessary by the friends of freedom to 
frame a new constitution. To carry this into ef- 
fect, delegates were appointed from the several 
states to meet at Philadelphia, in the year 1787. 
Of this ever memorable convention Mr. Madison 



233 

was a member, and assisted in framing that charter 
of our liberties — the boast of political science — and 
to which he afterwards affixed his name, as one of 
the deputies from Virginia. 

Immediately on his return home, he was elected 
a delegate to the Virginia convention, which met at 
Richmond in the year following, to decide on the 
fate of that instrument. 

This convention was composed of some of the 
ablest men that Virginia has ever produced, for 
genius, talents, and eloquence. In this enlightened 
body, the new constitution had its friends and its 
enemies. Among the former, none were more con- 
spicuous, and none more ably contributed to its 
adoption than Mr. Madison. Soon after the pub- 
lication of the constitution, he, conjointly with 
general Hamilton and Mr. Jay, commenced the 
publication of the Federalist, in the city of New- 
York, which had a powerful influence in procuring 
the adoption of that instrument in that and other 
states. Of this celebrated work, he wrote Nos. 10, 
14, 18, 19, 20, 37 to 58, inclusive, 62, 63, and 64. 
His style is chaste, his logic concise, cogent, and 
impressive. 

He afterwards represented his state in congress, 
until the year 1800, when he retired from public life. 

In 1801, he was called by president Jefferson to 
the office of secretary of state ; and in the year 
1809, he succeeded his predecessor in the presi- 
dential chair. 

Of the ability and wisdom of his administration, 
for two successive terms, ages will testify ; and its 
glorious events will form a distinguished epoch in 
the historical annals of our country. 

His life has been no less distinguished for su- 
periority of intellect, and an undeviating zeal in 
promoting the true interest of his country, than for 
an integrity which has never been shaken, and a 
benignity, which has never failed to shed its cheer- 
ing rays in every circle in which he moves. 

30 



•*i^ 



234 



Norton, John, a celebrated di vine, '"was" born in 
England, May 6th, 1606, and was^educated at the 
university of Cambridge. His talents and learning 
would have insured to him preferments in his own 
country, but he preferred coming to New-England, 
where he accordingly arrived in the year 1635. 

On his arrival at Plymouth, he was invited to 
take charge of the church in that town, and pass- 
ed the winter in preaching to that people. 

Early in 1636, he removed to Boston,'"where he 
was highly respected for his accomplishments ; and 
before the close of the year accepted an invitation 
to settle at Ipswich, where he continued till the 
death of the Rev. Mr. Cotton. While he was 
minister of Ipswich he wrote a number of books, 
which procured him a high reputation. He also 
assisted in forming the Cambridge platform, which 
was adopted in 1648. After the death of Mr. Cot- 
ton, at the close of 1652, the church in Boston ap- 
plied to him to become their minister. He ac- 
cordingly preached in that town till the year 1655, 
when he returned to Ipswich. After the restora- 
tion of Charles II. it was thought necessary to ad- 
dress him ; accordingly, Mr. Norton and Mr. Brad- 
street were appointed the agents of Massachusetts 
for that purpose. It was a most delicate and 
difficult business to transact. It required so 
much art and dissimulation, that a minister of the 
gospel ought not to have been concerned in it. 

Cromwell was the friend of New-England. Our 
clergy had justified every circumstance of the 
usurpation, and publicly announced the piety, as 
well as the justice of the court, which had brought 
their monarch to the scaffold. Men who had 
grown gray in practising political devices, 'would 
have been puzzled to make an address to his son 



235 

and successor, and conceal their own hypocrisy. 
The conduct of our agents, tlie unkind treatment 
they received from those in whom they trusted, es- 
pecially the resentment of the fierce republican 
spirit of this new world, which may be compared 
to Hercules in his cradle, have been related in the 
histories of Massachusetts. They all agree that 
Mr. Norton's death was the consequence. 

He died suddenly, April 5, 1663, aged fifty-seven 
years. 

Mr. Norton was distinguished' as a writer as 
much as he excelled in preaching. In controversy 
he was very acute, for his powerful talents had 
been cultivated by an excellent education, and he 
was familiar with the subtleties of the schoolmen. 
In his religious sentiments, he accorded with the 
first fathers of New-England. In 1645, he drew 
up, at the request of the ministers of New-England, 
an answer to a number of questions, relating to 
church government, which were sent over by W. 
ApoUonius, under the direction of the divines of 
Zealand. This was the first Latin book ever print- 
ed in this country. It was written in pure, elegant 
Latin, and published 1648, one volume octavo. 

He published also, " The meritorious Price of 
Man's Redemption ;" the " Orthodox Evangelist ;" 
the " Life of Mr. Cotton :" which was reprinted 
in England. 



fee 



Otis, James, a distinguished patriot and states- 
man, was born at West Barnstable, Massachusetts, 
on the 5th day of February, 1725. He entered 
Harvard college in June, 1739, and graduated in 
1743. In three years after, he took the degree of 
A. M, Previous to his entering on the study of 
the law, he spent about eighteen months, in fur- 
nishing his mind with various kinds of knowledge, 
and cultivating a classical taste. The learning he 
acquired in this preparatory study, was afterwards 
of the greatest use to him. He inculcated on his 
pupils as a maxim, "that a lawyer ought never to 
be without a volume of natural or public law, or 
moral philosophy, on his table, or in his pocket." 

In 1745, he began the study of the law, in the 
office of Mr. Gridley, at that time the most emi- 
nent lawyer in the province. On completing his 
studies under him, he commenced the practice of 
the law at Plymouth. After two years residence 
at Plymouth, which were occupied more in study 
than in practice, he removed to Boston, and very 
soon rose to the first rank in his profession. 

In 1761, he distinguished himself by pleading 
against the "writs of assistance;" and afterwards 
by openly opposing and denying the right of the 
British parliament to tax the colonies. 

In the following year he was chosen a member 
of the legislature of Massachusetts, in which body 
the powers of his eloquence, the keenness of his 
wit, the force of his arguments, and the forces of 
his intellect, gave him a most commanding influ- 
ence. He was now viewed as the leading charac- 
ter among the whigs ; his opposition to Bernard 
and Hutchinson combined with his zeal for his 
country's cause, gave ardour to his spirits, a glow 



to his imagination, and energy to his expressions. 
When the arbitrary claims of Great Britain were 
advanced, he zealously engaged in defence of the 
colonies, and was the first champion of American 
freedom, who had the courage to affix his name to 
a production, that stood forth against the preten- 
sions of Great Britain. He was a member of the 
congress which was held at New- York in 1765. 
In this year, he published in London a pamphlet, 
entitled "Rights of the Colonies vindicated." For 
the boldness of his opinions advanced in this 
pamphlet, he was threatened with an arrest. Ne- 
vertheless, he continued to defend the rights of his 
fellow citizens. 

In 1767, he resigned the office of judge advocate, 
and renounced all employment under an adminis- 
tration, which had encroached upon the liberties of 
his country. 

He was one of those master spirits who began 
and conducted an opposition, which at first was 
only designed to counteract and defeat an arbitra- 
ry administration; but which ended in a revolu- 
tion, emancipated a continent, and established by 
the example of its effects, a lasting influence on 
all the governments of the civilized world. 

The public career of Mr. Otis may be said to 
have ended in 1769; as the wounds which he re- 
ceived shortly after in an afiray, incapacitated him 
for business. During the remaining years of his 
life, he was sometimes in a frenzied state ; at others, 
exhibited rather the eccentricities of a humourist 
than absolute derangement. 

He lived to see, but not to enjoy, the independence 
of America; an event towards which his efforts had 
greatly contributed. At length, on the 23rd May, 
1783, as he w^as leaning on his cane at the door of 
Mr. Osgood's house, at Andover, he was struck by 
lightning ; his soul was instantly liberated from its 
shattered tenement, and sent into eternity. Presi- 
dent Adams very justly remarks, in a letter to one 



238 

of his friends, on hearing of his death, " That he 
left a character that will never die, while the memo- 
ry of the American revolution remains ; whose foun- 
dation he laid with an energy, and with those mas- 
terly abilities, which no man possessed." He was 
highly distinguished by genius, eloquence, and 
learning, and no American, perhaps, had possessed 
more extensive information. Besides his legal and 
political knowledge, he was a complete master of 
classical literature. As a patriot, he resisted all 
allurements that might weaken the cause of that 
country, to which he devoted his life, and for which 
he sacrificed it. 

To aid the cultivation of classical learning, he 
published in 1760, a treatise, entitled "The Rudi- 
ments of Latin Prosody, with a Dissertation on 
Letters, and the Power of Harmony in Poetic and 
Prosaic Composition." 



239 



Putnam, Israel, a major-general in the Ameri- 
can army, was born at Salem, Massachusetts, on 
the 7th day of January, 1718. He was indebted to 
nature, more than education, for a vigorous con- 
stitution, for mental endowments, and for that un- 
daunted courage and active enterprise which were 
his prominent characteristics. Much confidence 
was reposed in his military prowess and judgment; 
and he was remarkable for a faithful perseverance 
in all the duties of his station, and for the most un- 
deviating principles of honour, humanity, and be- 
nevolence. 

In the year 1739, he removed to Pomfret, in 
Connecticut, where he applied himself to the art 
of agriculture. Not long after his removal to that 
place, as a bold display of character in early life, 
we have it recorded, that he attacked a wolf in her 
den, and slew her. 

During the French war, he was appointed to 
command a company of the first troops, which were 
raised in Connecticut, in 1755, and was distin- 
guished for his active services as a partizan officer. 

In the year 1760, he was promoted to the rank 
of lieutenant-colonel, and served under general 
Amherst in the conquest of Canada. 

In 1775, as he was ploughing in the field, he re- 
ceived intelligence of the battle at Lexington. He 
immediately left his plough, and without changing 
his clothes, repaired to Cambridge, riding in a sin- 
gle day 100 miles. 

On receiving the appointment of a major-gene- 
ral, he returned to Connecticut, levied a body of 
troops, and returned to the army. 

At the battle of Bunker's Hill, he exhibited his 
usual bravery and intrepidity. 



240 

When the army was organized by general Wash- 
ington at Cambridge, he was appointed to com- 
mand the reserve. In August, 1776, he was sta- 
tioned at Brooklyn, on Long-Island, and after the 
defeat of our army at Flatbush on the 27th, he as- 
sisted in the arduous and complicated difficulties 
of that masterly retreat. In the retreat of our 
army through New-Jersey, he was always near — 
always the friend, the supporter, and confidant of 
his beloved chief; and the moment after reaching 
the western bank of the Delaware with the rear of 
the army, he was ordered to Philadelphia to fortify 
and defend that city. 

After the loss of fort Montgomery, in 1777, at 
the request of general Washington to point out a 
spot to built another fort, he decided in favour of, 
and proposed West Point. 

The campaign of 1779, which was principally 
spent in strengthening the works at this place, 
finished the military career of this veteran and 
patriot. 

A paralytic aftection impaired the activity of his 
body, and he passed the remainder of his days in 
retirement, till the 19th May, 1790, when his ho- 
nourable and useful life was brought to a close. 



Parsons, Theophilus, an eminent statesman 
and lawyer, was born at Byfield, Massachusetts, 
February 24, 1750. At the age of fifteen he enter- 
ed Harvard college, and was ranked among the first 
of his class ; and at the time when he graduated, 
was considered to be the first in talents and know- 
ledge, of alt who had graduated for many years. 

On leaving college he commenced the study of 
the law at Portland, with the late judge Bradbury. 

After having been admitted to practice in the 



24i 

courts ol* liis native state, he soon became conspi- 
cuous as a lawyer of profound talents. 

In 1777, he opened an office in Portland, and in 
the following year was elected one of the committee 
to draft a constitution for his native state. 

This production contains all the principles in- 
corporated in the best constitutions of government 
to be found in our united republic. 

After the close of the revolutionary struggle, the 
congress of the confederate states dragged on a 
feeble existence; not wanting in dignity and ta- 
lents, but without powers suited to the great con- 
cern. The immediate pressure was gone which 
had given authority to their laws, if they deserved 
that name. The states were jealous, and reluc- 
tantly yielded to their control, even on those sub- 
jects which could not be managed by them indivi- 
dually. It was at this crisis of affairs that a gene- 
ral convention was called, which formed a consti- 
tution, and submitted it to the several states for 
their adoption. 

The convention of Massachusetts met according- 
ly at Boston, in 1789. Among the host of distin- 
guished statesmen sent to this convention was 
judge Parsons. 

This was a most critical period of our aflairs, 
and the question was considered as affecting the 
vital interests of the nation. The eyes of the 
world were on the republic. The lovers of aris- 
tocracy and monarchy were hoping, and no doubt 
were fully persuaded, that the people had not suf- 
ficient discretion or virtue to preserve the rights 
they had won, and that all would be lost in faction 
and disorder. Parsons came to this body with so- 
lemn apprehensions of failure, but with a fixed 
resolution to spare nothing to obtain the adoption 
of the constitution. He brought the whole stores 
of his learning, and all the mighty powers of his 
mind, to act upon this enlightened assembly; and 
yet, notwithstanding the great exertions and the 

31 



J4<? 

powerful eloquence of the friends of the conssli- 
tution, only a small majority decided that impor- 
tant transaction. 

In the year 1800, he removed to Boston. Here 
he found more men of congenial minds, and suffi- 
cient business of magnitude and profit, and it be- 
came unnecessary for him to leave the town to at- 
tend the courts at a distance. 

In 1806, chief justice Dana, oppressed by the in- 
firmities of age, resigned his office, to which Par- 
sons succeeded. In this appointment the public 
expectations were fully realized, for he was the 
pride and boast of every enlightened, unprejudic- 
ed man in the commonwealth, until his death, 
which happened October 6, 1813. 

This event was felt as a general calamity. The 
bar throughout New-England deplored the loss of 
this great master in the profession; and the learned 
bench of judges mourned the extinguishment of the 
brightest luminary in the temple of justice. In the 
science of law he w^as deeply versed. He had read 
with attention, and retained with accuracy, all the 
legal learning to be found in English and French 
authors ; and he had gone further, and caught the 
manners of his own country, and blended them 
with the common law authorities. 

He knew more of what might be denominated 
New-England lavi^, than any other man. He was 
esteemed as one of the profoundest mathemati- 
cians of his age. He was always fond of classical 
studies, and had a most extensive acquaintance 
with literature in general. He was a master of 
the Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and French languages, 
and was well grounded in the nature and princi- 
ples of general grammar. 

He was a powerful and argumentative speaker. 
To learning deep and extensive, he added a quick- 
ness of comprehension that penetrated every thing 
at a glance. 



■Mo 

He was a statesman of bold and extensive views* 
careful in fixing principles, but when they were 
established, fearless of their consequences. 



Paine, Robert Treat, LL. D. a distinguished 
patriot, and one of the signers of the declaration of 
independence, was born in Boston, Massachu- 
setts, 1731. 

At the age of fourteen, he entered Harvard col- 
lege, and received the honours of that seminary in 
the year 1749. 

In the following year, he visited Europe, and 
on his return home, he joined the provincial troops 
in the capacity of a chaplain. 

It was about this time that he engaged in the 
study of the law, in the office of the late chief jus- 
tice Pratt, and in a few years was admitted to 
practice. 

He established himself in Boston, where he re- 
mained a short time, and then removed to Taun- 
ton, where he continued for many years. At an 
early period of the contest with Great Britain, he 
took an active part in the measures which were 
adopted by the leading whigs of the day, in oppo- 
sition to the measures of taxation imposed by the 
British parliament on the colonies. 

In 1773, when the conduct of the British admin- 
istration had so alarmed the patriots of America, 
that the colonies were corresponding with one an- 
other to withstand the tyrannical acts which still 
threatened them ; a similar intercourse was esta- 
blished between the citizens of the capital and the 
other towns in Massachusetts. On this occasion, 
the town of Taunton chose a large committee, 
of which Mr. Paine was chairman. Resolu- 
tions were passed by this committee, the original 
draft of which has been found in the hand-writing 



t>44 

of Mr. Paine, not inferior in firmness and patriotism 
to those previously passed in Boston. 

This year he was chosen a representative to the 
general assembly of the province, for the town of 
Taunton. At this time, none but firm and active 
friends of liberty were delegated by the people. 
Those only who possessed talent and principle, 
were selected to maintain the ancient rights of the 
colonies, and to consult for the general welfare. 
He was appointed on several committees during 
this year ; and was one of the members chosen to 
conduct the impeachment against chief justice 
Oliver. 

In May, 1774, he was again chosen a member 
of the assembly. At this critical period, the arri- 
val of general Gage to succeed governor Hutchin- 
son, excited considerable fears among the people^ 
as they believed the crisis was approaching, when 
the acts of parliament were to be carried into ef- 
fect, if opposed, at the point of the bayonet. 

Nor were their fears groundless : a committee 
was therefore chosen to consider the safety of the 
colony, of which Mr. Paine was one. 

By recommendation of this committee, a very 
important measure was adopted ; which was, that 
a continental congress should be holden, to be 
composed of delegates from all the colonies, to 
consult for the general welfare, and for the main- 
tenance of the rights and liberties of America. 
Governor Gage having received some intimations 
of their proceedings, ordered the assembly to be 
dissolved : for some hours, however, they refused 
admittance to the governor's messenger. In the 
mean time, five delegates were appointed, (one of 
which was Mr. Paine,) to meet those who should 
be appointed by the other colonies, in a general 
congress at Philadelphia in September following. 
The delegates from Massachusetts, it may be 
proper here to remark, wore the inr^t chosen on the 
continent. 



245 

A similar measure had been adopted in 1765, by 
recommendation of the assembly of Massachusetts. 
And in 1768, the united efforts of all the colonies 
had been proposed by a circular address from this 
province, requesting them to state their grievances, 
as the general assembly here had done, and " to 
harmonize with them in all probable and proper 
measures to obtain redress." 

The patriots of that day did not contemplate 
so much on a separation from Great Britain, as to 
keep inviolate their liberties by taking a firm and 
decided stand against the encroachments of parlia- 
ment. It was under these impressions, that the 
first continental congress met at Philadelphia, in 
1774. 

In May, 1775, the continental congress met again 
at Philadelphia, and Mr. Paine was one of the five 
delegates chosen to attend from Massachusetts. 

In the course of this year, when it was found 
that the administration did not change its mea- 
sures, and the British army increased, the most in- 
telligent and resolute of the members declared the 
propriety of becoming a separate and independent 
nation. 

In December, 1775, he was again chosen a dele- 
gate to congress. In June, 1776, he, with Mr. Rut- 
ledge and Mr. Jeflferson, was desired to report 
rules for the conduct of congress in debate. 

On the 4th July, when the solemn declaration of 
the independence of the American colonies was 
made and published to the world, he was present 
and affixed his name to that instrument. 

The reputation of Mr. Paine for zeal in the cause 
of liberty, and for talents and activity suited to the 
great concerns of the country, was now as high as 
that of any man in the state. He acted from prin- 
ciple, and was fully persuaded of the justice of 
the cause in which his country had engaged. He 
was intelligent, and unwearied in his effijrts to be 
useful ; and when difficulties increased, he was the 



246 

more resolute and active. He was again elected 
to congress for the years 1777 and 1778. And for 
a part of this period, also filled some of the highest 
offices in the government of Massachusetts. 

In 1779, he was chosen a member of the conven- 
tion, and was appointed one of the committee 
which prepared and reported the constitution for 
his native state, and which was afterwards adopted 
by the people in 1780. 

On the organization of the government he was 
appointed attorney-general of the commonwealth, 
and continued in that office until 1790, when he ac- 
cepted a seat on the bench of the supreme judicial 
court. He held this office until the year 1804, 
when he resigned. In the same year, he was 
chosen a counsellor of the commonwealth. He 
died May 11, 1814, at the advanced age of eighty- 
four. 

Judge Paine was a decided friend to the consti- 
tution of the United States, which he supported 
by his writings and conversations. He retained 
his mental faculties in great vigour until his death. 
His memory was remarkably lively and powerful, 
and he was prone to indulge in repartee and wit. 
He was a patron of learning, and held a high rank 
among the literary men of our country. He re- 
ceived the honorary degree of doctor of laws from 
the university of Cambridge. 



Porter, David, commodore in the navy 'of the 
United States, was born at Boston, on the 1st Fe- 
bruary, 1780. 

At the age of nineteen he obtained a midship- 
man's warrant, and afterwards went on board the 
frigate Constellation ; and was in the action with 
the French frigate Plnsurgente. For his brave 
conduct in this action, he received the commission 



247 

<jf a lieutenant. He afterwards manifested great 
skill and valour, in capturing a number of French 
privateers in the West Indian seas. 

He next accompanied the first squadron to the 
Mediterranean. While on that station his skill and 
intrepidity on all occasions w^ere conspicuous, and 
called forth the applause of his commander. 

In September, 1803, he joined the frigate Phila- 
delphia, and shortly after her running foul of a 
rock, she was surrendered to a superior force, and 
was carried a prisoner, with the officers and crew 
of the ship, to the city of Tripoli. After the esta- 
blishment of peace with this regency, he returned 
to Syracuse, and was appointed to the command 
of the brig Enterprise. 

After a lapse of five years, he returned to the 
United States, and was appointed to command the 
flotilla on the New-Orleans station. 

In 1812, after the declaration of war against 
Great Britain, he was appointed to the command 
of the frigate Essex. He sailed from New- York 
on the 3rd July, and in a few days afterwards cap- 
tured his majesty's sloop of war, Alert, after an 
action of a few minutes, and carried her into port. 
On the 27th October, he sailed for the coast of 
Brazil ; after capturing several valuable prizes, he 
pursued his way to the southern Pacific. On his 
arrival in this ocean, he destroyed a large amount 
of British commerce, and augmented his force to 
several ships, among which was the Essex Junior, 
the command of which he gave to lieutenant 
Downs. 

The British despatched armed ships in every 
direction to capture him. Commodore Porter hav- 
ing learned their intentions, he determined to close 
his expedition to this sea, with something more 
brilliant than the capture of merchantmen and 
whalers. He accordingly proceeded to the island 
of Nooahevah, one of the Washington groupe, to 
make repairs. 



248 

On the 19th of November, 1813, he took formal 
possession of this island in behalf of the United 
States of America, by the name of Madison's Island. 
It is situate between the latitude of 9 and 10 S. 
and in longitude 140 W. from Greenwich, and is 
large, fertile, and populous. 

Having refitted, he sailed from this place on the 
12th December for the coast of Chili. In February, 
1814, he reached Valparaiso. On the 28th March, 
he was attacked by commodore Hillyar's squadron, 
in violation of every principle of honour, and re- 
gardless of the rights of nations, within pistol shot 
of a neutral shore. After a hard fought action of 
three hours, during which time from the crippled 
state of the Essex at the commencement of the ac- 
tion, only six guns could be used, commodore Por- 
ter surrendered to a superiority of more than dou- 
ble his force. Commodore Porter in his official 
letter to the secretary of the navy, says, " To pos- 
sess the Essex, it has cost the British government 
near six millions of dollars, and yet. Sir, her cap- 
ture, although dishonourable, was owing entirely 
to accident." 

On commodore Porter's return to the United 
States, he was received with that eclat to which 
the brilliancy of his actions entitled him. He af- 
terwards assisted at the defence of Baltimore ; and 
on the return of peace, congress having establish- 
ed a navy board,^to assist the operations of the navy 
department, he was appointed one of the three 
commissioners to whom its directions was con- 
fided. 

He has since been appointed to the command 
of the American fleet on the West India station. 



Perry, Oliver Haz\rd, the "Hero of Lake 
Erie," was born at Newport, Rhode-Island, in 



249 

August, 1785. At the age of fourteen he entered 
the navy of the United States, and shortly after he 
accompanied the squadron to the Mediterranean, 
in which he served during the Tripoline war. 

At the commencement of the late war with Great 
Britain, he was appointed to the command of the 
flotilla of gun-boats, stationed in the harbour of 
New-York, with the rank of master-commandant. 

In 1813, he was appointed to the command of 
the squadron on lake Erie. As soon as he had 
equipped and manned his vessels, he set sail from 
the port of Erie in pursuit of the British fleet, on 
the 8th of August. Nothing of moment, however, 
happened until the 10th September, when he dis- 
covered the enemy at sunrise, and immediately 
made for them. The action commenced about ten 
o'clock, and lasted for three hours, when the whole 
British squadron struck their colours. Never was 
a victory more decisive and complete. The cap- 
tured squadron had more guns and more men. 
The enemy's loss in killed and wounded amounted 
to 160, the Americans 123. Soon after the victory 
on lake Erie, the thanks of congress were voted to 
the commodore, his officers, seamen, and marines ; 
and medals were presented to him and his officers. 

In 1815, commodore Perry was appointed to the 
command of the Java frigate, and sailed with com- 
modore Decatur's squadron to the Mediterranean, 
and participated in the negotiation of an honour- 
able peace with the Algerines. 

In June, 1819, commodore Perry sailed from the 
Chesapeake bay in the United States ship John 
Adams, for the West Indies and a cruise, with seal- 
ed orders. 

In September, 1820, the melancholy intelligence 
of his death reached the United States, on which 
occasion the secretary of the navy ordered the 
usual tribute of respect to be paid to the memory 
of this illustrious officer. 

He died at Port Spain, on the 23d August. 1820. 

32 



250 

Pike, Zebulon Moatgomery, a brigadier-general 
in the army of the United States, was born at Lam- 
berton, New-Jersey, on the 5th of January, 1779. 

By his own perseverance and application, he be- 
came skilled in the mathematical and astronomical 
sciences, and a proficient in the Latin, French, and 
Spanish languages. 

In 1805, a new career of honourable destination 
was opened to his active and aspiring mind. 

The government of the United States having 
purchased Louisiana, determined upon ascertain- 
ing its geographical boundary; its soil and natural 
productions ; the course of its rivers and their fit- 
ness for the purpose of navigation, and other uses 
of civilized life ; and also to gain particular infor- 
mation of the numbers, character, and power of 
the tribes of Indians who inhabited this territory. 

With these views, president Jefferson appointed 
captains Lewis and Clark to explore the unknown 
sources of the Missouri, and captain Pike that of 
the Missisippi. 

In August following, general Pike embarked at 
St. Louis on this interesting and perilous expedi- 
tion, and did not return to the seat of government 
until August, 1807. 

Before two months had expired, captain Pike 
was selected for a second perilous journey of hard- 
ship and adventure. The principal purpose of this 
expedition was like that of the former, to explore 
the interior of Louisiana, especially the tributary 
streams of the Missisippi, Arkansaw, and Red River, 
and thus to acquire such geographical information, 
as might enable government to enter into definitive 
arrangements for a boundary line between our new- 
ly acquired territory and North Mexico. 

Upon his return from this last expedition, he 
received the thanks of the government. He was 
shortly afterwards appointed major, and in 1810, 
a colonel of infantry. 



251 

During the interval of his military duties, he 
published a narrative of his two expeditions, ac- 
companied by several valuable original maps and 
charts. 

In 1813, he was appointed a brigadier-general, 
and was selected to command the American forces 
in an expedition against York, the capital of Upper 
Canada. On the 27th April he arrived before 
York at the head of his troops, and attacked the 
enemy's works in person. The fire of the enemy 
was soon silenced, and at the moment that a flag 
of surrender was expected, a terrible explosion 
took place from the British magazine, which had 
previously been prepared for this purpose. An 
immense quantity of large stones were thrown in 
every direction, one of which struck the general, 
the wound from which proved mortal after linger- 
ing a few hours. In the mean while, the British 
standard was brought to him, which he made a 
sign to have placed under his head, and then ex- 
pired without a groan ! 



PiNCKNEY, Charles, one of the signers of the 
federal constitution, was born in Charleston, South 
Carolina, in the year 1758. 

Unaided by a college education, he became by 
the assistance of private instructors a proficient 
in the languages of Greece, Rome, and France, in 
all acquirements essential to public utility, and ne- 
cessary to form a great statesman. 

Ardent and impassioned in the pursuit of litera- 
ture and distinction, he did not long remain un- 
known. 

At the commencement of the revolution, he 
took a share in the struggle for independence, 
and was one of those patriots who underwent 



,'.)»' 



seven years calamity to restore liberty and inde- 
pendence to his country. 

, At the age of twenty-seven, he was elected a 
member of the state legislature, which place he 
held until the year 1787, when he was unanimous- 
ly elected by that body one of the delegates to the 
federal convention, which met at Philadelphia to 
frame the present constitution. 

Though youngest in this august body, yet he has 
ever been ranked among the most conspicuous in 
eloquence and efficiency. He advocated an ener- 
getic general government. Of the various propo- 
sitions which he originated, there is one which, 
though not a part of the constitution, yet the peo- 
ple appear to have adopted in practice. This was, 
that the president's tenure should be seven years, 
and afterwards ineligible. By custom he is con- 
tinued for eight years, but his popularity, which 
will always in some degree influence his indepen- 
dence, is exposed in four years. 

His distinguished services were remunerated 
with the applause of his constituents, and as an 
evidence of their high opinion, he was advanced 
to the chief magistracy of his native state, soon 
after he had been auxiliary in procuring the adop- 
tion of the new constitution by the state conven- 
tion. 

In the year 1798, he was elected a member of the 
senate of the United States. He was afterwards 
appointed ambassador to the court of Spain, where, 
besides fulfilling his official duties, he collected a 
fund of information on the manners, laws, and cus- 
toms of the old world. Upon his return from Eu- 
rope, his native state elected him for the fourth 
time, governor. 

The eloquence of Mr. Pinckney was luminous, 
fervid, and without acrimony; his enunciation was 
full, ardent, and impressive. 

Gifted with unusual colloquial powers, urbane in 
manners, with a temper of great amenity, he always 



^Ob 



added to the enjoyments of social intercourse. 
Though visited with his portion of mortal frailty, 
yet he was a kind master, an indulgent parent, and 
a devoted patriot. 

Adversity presented him a chalice often over- 
flowing, yet he abandoned neither hope nor his 
equanimity, and after a life of utility and vicissi- 
tude, calmly sunk into that sleep where ambition 
cannot excite, nor the pains of misfortune again 
invade. 

He died October 29, 1824, at the advanced age 
of sixty-six years. 



PiNCKNEY, William, an eminent lawyer and 
statesman, was born at Annapolis, in the state of 
Maryland, March 17, 1765. 

At an early age, he exhibited proofs of extraor- 
dinary talents, which were afterwards improved by 
a classical education. He particularly excelled in 
a profound knowledge of the classical writers of 
antiquity. 

Under the patronage of the late judge Chase, he 
commenced the study of the law, and was admitted 
to the bar in 1786, where, at his first appearance, 
he gave those promises of ability and greatness, 
which he subsequently fulfilled. 

In 1789, he was elected a member of the Mary- 
land legislature, and in 1792, was called to a seat 
in the executive council. 

In 1796, soon after the ratification of the British 
treaty, he was appointed by president Washington 
a commissioner in accordance with the provision of 
the treaty, to reside in London. 

In 1804, he returned home. During his stay in 
London, he pursued his professional studies with 
increased ardour, and was a close attendant of the 
English courts of law. 



254 

In 1806, he was appointed envoy extraordinary 
and minister plenipotentiary, in conjunction with 
Mr. Monroe, to the court of Great Britain. The 
treaty which was procured did not answer, how- 
ever, the expectations of president Jefferson, and 
he returned it on his own responsibility, without 
consulting the senate. 

After vainly endeavouring for three years to ne- 
gotiate a more favourable treaty with that power, 
he returned to the United States, and in 1812, was 
appointed attorney-general of the United States. 

In this capacity he shone with conspicuous lus- 
tre. Ever prepared, and never off his guard, he en- 
countered his subject with a mind rich in all the 
gifts of nature, and fraught witli all the resources 
of art and study. He entered the list with his an- 
tagonist armed like the ancient cavalier, cap a pe. 
In cases which embraced all the complications and 
intricacies of law, where reason seems to be lost 
in the ocean of technical perplexity ; and darkness 
and obscurity assume the dignified character of 
science, he displayed an extent of research, a range 
of investigation, a lucidness of reasoning, and a 
fervour and brilliancy of thought, that excited won- 
der and elicited admiration. On the driest, most 
abstract, and uninteresting questions of law, when 
no mind could anticipate such an occurrence, he 
would blaze forth in all the enchanting exuberance 
of a chastened, but rich and vivid imagination. In 
the higher grades of eloquence, where the passions 
and feelings of our nature are roused to nature or 
lulled to tranquillity, he was still the great magician 
whose power was resistless, and whose touch was' 
fascination. His eloquence was sublime, majestic, 
and overwhelming. 

His order was lucid, his reasoning logical, his 
diction select, magnificent, and appropriate, and 
his style was flowing, oratorical, and beautiful. 

The most laboured and finished composition 
could not be better than that which he seemed to 



255 

utter spontaneously, and without effort. His satire 
was keen, but delicate; and his wit scintillating 
and brilliant. He possessed the most extensive 
and varied information, and was never at a loss to 
ornament and illustrate whatever subject he touch- 
ed. He was ever the same ; he used no common 
place artifice to excite a momentary thrill of admi- 
ration. He was not obliged to patch up and em- 
bellish a few ordinary thoughts, or set off a few 
meagre and uninteresting facts. His resources 
were unlimited as those of nature, and fresh powers 
and new beauties were exhibited whenever he em- 
ployed his eloquence. A singular copiousness and 
felicity of thought and expression, united to a mag- 
nificence of amplification, and a purity and chastity 
of ornament, gave to his eloquence a sort of en- 
chantment which it is difficult to describe. 

In 1816, he was appointed minister to the courts 
of Naples and Russia. 

On his return home he was elected a member of 
the senate of the United States. 

In February, 1822, while engaged in an impor- 
tant cause, in the supreme court of the United 
States at Washington, from too great exertions, he 
was seized with a fit of illness which in two days 
put a period to his life — aged fifty-seven years. 



Paine, Robert Treat, a distinguished poet, was 
born at Taunton, Massachusetts, December 9, 
1773. After receiving the honours of the univer- 
sity of Cambridge, he entered the counting-house 
of Mr, James Tisdale, and after a year or two re- 
linquished it for the muses. 

He now bent his whole attention to literature 
until the year 1799, when, at the solicitation of 
his friends, he commenced the study of the law, 
in the office of the late chief justice Parsons. 



256 

In 1802, he was admitted to the bar, and for 
several years received as much business as he 
could well attend to, and was fast rising to emi- 
nence in his profession, when unfortunately he be- 
came negligent, and was forsaken by his patrons. 

J^e now resorted to publishing, but after con- 
tending with the storm of adversity for several 
years without realizing the golden harvest which 
his fine genius had arrayed before him, he gra- 
dually sunk under disappointment and disease, and 
expired without a groan, November 12, 1811. 

As an author, he will always rank high among 
the poets of this country. 

His genius was certainly of an high order, and 
his poetry is marked for brilliant imagery and ori- 
ginality. 

His poetry has been published in one large vo- 
lume octavo. 



Paine, Thomas, a poetical and infidel writer of 
great notoriety, was born in England about the 
year 1737. He was by profession a staymaker. 
About the year 1774, he came to this country, and 
was employed as editor of the Philadelphia Maga- 
zine. 

In the next year, at the suggestion of Dr. Rush, 
he wrote his celebrated pamphlet, entitled "Com- 
mon Sense," for which he received £500 from the 
legislature of Pennsylvania; and soon after this 
was honoured with a degree of M. A. from the uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania, and was chosen a member 
of the American Philosophical Society. 

He was afterwards appointed a clerk in the office 
of the secretary for foreign aff'airs, but was shortly 
after dismissed for a scandalous breach of trust. 

In 1780, the assembly of Pennsylvania chose 
him as clerk. 



SOI 



in 1782, he printed at Philadelphia a letter to tiic 
Abbe Raynal, in which he undertakes to clear up 
the mistakes in Raynal's account of the American 
revolution. 

In 1785, as a compensation for his revolutionary 
writings, congress granted him three thousand dol- 
lars, and New-York gave him an estate of three 
hundred acres of land. 

In 1787, he visited England, and before the end 
of that year published a pamphlet, entitled "' Pros- 
pects on the Rubicon." 

In 1789, he visited France, and on his return to 
England in 1790, wrote the first part of his "Rights 
of Man," and in 1792, the second part. In the fol- 
lowing year he again returned to France, and was 
chosen a member of the French convention. As 
soon as Robespierre had gained the ascendency, he 
sent Paine and the enthusiast Cloots to prison at 
the Luxembourg, and narrowly escaped being guil- 
lotined. 

It was during his imprisonment of eleven months 
that he composed his blasphemous pamphlet called 
the " Age of Reason,'' the first part of which was 
published at London in 1794, and the second part 
the year following. This work has been ably re- 
futed by a Watson, a Scott, a Wakefield, and 
others, and the ignorance of Paine completely ex- 
posed. 

His subsequent publications were " The Decline 
and Fall of the English System of Finance ;" a 
most impudent letter to general Washington, whom 
he had the ingratitude to revile as an apostate and 
an impostor ; "Agrarian Justice opposed to Agrarian 
Law, and to Agrarian Monopoly ;" " Letter to Lord 
Erskine on the Prosecution of J. Williams, for pub- 
lishing the Age of Reason." 

He continued in France till 1802, where he de- 
based himself by debauchery and drunkenness, 
and was so filthy in his person as to be avoided by 
all men of decency. 

Ok 



13 



j:>8 

111 October, of the same year, he arrived in Balti- 
more, and brought witli him a woman whom he had 
seduced from her husband, with her two sons; and 
whom he treated with the utmost meanness and 
tyranny. It may suffice that he appeared for many 
months before his death to be sunk to the lowest 
state of brutality. 

The following is an account of the closing scene 
of his life as related by his medical attendant, Dr. 
Manley. '^ During the latter part of his life," says 
this physician, " though his conversation was equi- 
vocal, his conduct was singular. He would not be 
left alone night or day. - He not only required to 
have some person with him, but he must see that 
he or she was there, and would not allow his cur- 
tain to be closed at any time ; and if, as it would 
sometimes happen, he was left alone, he would 
scream and halloo, until some person came to him. 
There was something also, very remarkable in 
his conduct during the two weeks preceding his 
death, particularly when we reflect, that he was 
the author of the "iVge of Reason." He would 
call out during his paroxysms of distress, without 
intermission, "O Lord help me, God help me, 
Jesus Christ help me, O Lord help me," Slc. 

He died at New- York, on the morning of the 
8th of June, 1809, in the seventy-third year of 
his age. 



Fenn, William, founder of Pennsylvania, was 
born in London, October 14, 1644, and in the fif- 
teenth year of his age entered as a gentleman 
commoner at Christ church, Oxford. His genius 
was bright and his imagination lively. Being im- 
pressed with the preaching of an itinerant quaker, 
he, with a number of other students, withdrew from 
the established worship and held meetings by them- 



J.")!-) 

selves. This conduct, which soon became known, 
gave oftence to the heads of the college, who, in* 
consequence of it, fined all of them for non-con- 
formity. This happened in the year 1660, and was 
afterwards expelled from college ; when he return- 
ed home. 

Soon after, he took up his residence in France, 
and renewed his studies under the instruction of 
the learned Moses Amyrault. He afterwards re- 
turned to England, and at the suggestion of his 
father, commenced the study of the law at Lin- 
coln's inn. 

In 1666, he was sent to Ireland, to manage the 
estate of his father, where he attended the preach- 
ing of Thomas Loe, a famous quaker-preacher, and 
shortly after embraced their doctrines. 

This turn of his mind greatly displeased his fa- 
ther, and he was dismissed his house. He then 
became an itinerant preacher and gained many 
proselytes. In the same year also, 1666, he com- 
menced his career as an author. Though some- 
times imprisoned, he was persevering, and such 
was his integrity and patience, that his father be- 
came reconciled to him. 

In 1670, he was apprehended for preaching, and 
was confined in Newgate, and afterwards in the 
tower. While a prisoner he could not, consistent- 
ly with his notions of duty, remain idle. To do 
good by preaching, while immured there, w^as im- 
possible; he therefore applied himself to waiting. 
His first effgrt ended in the production of "No. 
Cross, no Crown," which was afterwards followed 
by other works. 

After he was released from prison, he crossed 
over into Holland, and travelled through Germany, 
preaching and publishing his doctrines with great 
success. 

About this time his father died, and he returned 
to England and inherited a large patrimony. He, 
however, continued to preach and to write as before 



260 

and in conjunction witli Barclay and Keith, formed 
the fraternity into order. 

In 1680, he petitioned Charles II. for letters pa- 
tent for a certain tract of land in America, in lieu 
of the debt due by the government to his father, 
and which he was induced to do, from a desire to 
spread the principles and doctrines of the quakers; 
and to raise a virtuous empire in the new land, 
wdiich should diffuse its example far and wide to 
the remotest ages. In the following year his wish 
was gratified ; he obtained a grant of the tract so- 
licited, under the name of Pennsylvania which the 
king gave in honour of his father. 

He soon after drew up a frame of government, 
carefully preserving therein the rights of con- 
science. 

In the latter part of the same year he despatched 
three vessels with passengers and commissioners, 
and addressed by them an admirable and interest- 
ing letter to the Indians, explanatory of his inten- 
tions and views in settling among them. 

In 1682, he arrived at Newcastle, convened an 
assembly of the quakers, and afterwards visited 
New-York and Maryland. . 

From those places he returned, and made his 
great treaty with the Indians ; went to Pennsbury, 
fixed on a site for his new city, and called it Phi- 
ladelphia. 

In 1683, he proceeded in the organization of the 
settlement. The assembly met — ^juries were ap- 
pointed — the erection of Philadelphia was com- 
menced and prosecuted with great vigour, and he 
made a journey of discovery into the interior of 
Pennsylvania, and sent to the free society of tra- 
ders the natural history of that settlement. 

In 1684, he returned to England, and by his ex- 
ertions was instrumental in setting at liberty up- 
wards of thirteen hundred quakers, who were con- 
fined in prison. On the death of Charles II. he 
became a favourite of James II. : and prevailed 



261 

upon him to pardon and release the celebrated 
Locke from prison. 

While he remained in England, he continued to 
preach and to write, and was a number of times ill 
treated and cast into prison. At length, after a 
lapse of fifteen years, the American Lycurgus re- 
visited his province. 

He retired to Pennsbury ; proposed and carried 
various resolutions in favour of the Indians and 
negroes ; travelled in the ministry through the pro- 
vince, and in the Jerseys and Maryland; made some 
alterations in the government ; signed the new char- 
ter ; and constituted and incorporated Philadelphia 
a city. 

He afterwards returned to England, and died in 
that country July 30, 1718, in the seventy-fourth 
year of his age. Mr. Penn was a man of great 
abilities, of quick thought and ready utterance, of 
mildness of disposition and extensive charity. His 
labours were exerted for the good of mankind ; and 
with the strictest consistency of moral conduct and 
religious opinion, he endured persecution and ma- 
lice with resignation, and guided by the approba- 
tion of a pure conscience, he showed himself in- 
defatigable in fulfilling of what he considered as 
the law of God, and the clear demonstration of the 
truth of the gospel. 

Distinguished alike as a politician, a theologian, 
a legislator, a philanthropist, and a christian, his 
name to the latest genei-ations will ever be asso- 
ciated with liberty, truth, and vital Christianity. 

His select works have been published in five vo- 
lumes octavo. 



Preble, Edward, commodore in the navy of the 
United States, was born in Portland, Maine, Au- 
gust 15. 1761. 



262 

From early childhood he discovered a strong 
disposition for hazards and adventures, and a firm, 
resolute, and persevering temper. 

At the age of eighteen he entered as a midship- 
man in the navy of his country, and distinguished 
himself in several engagements with the enemy. 

Previous to the peace of 1783, he was promoted 
to a lieutenancy, and was very active in protecting 
our coasting trade, and taking a number of Eng- 
lish privateers. 

At the commencement of the rupture with 
France, in 1798, he was promoted to the com- 
mand of the frigate Essex, and in the year 1803, 
was appointed commodore of the squadron which 
was sent against Tripoli. In this affair he dis- 
played consummate bravery. In consideration of 
his valuable services, congress voted him the thanks 
of the nation, and an emblematical medal, which 
were presented by the president with emphatic 
declarations of esteem and admiration. 

He died August 25, 1807, in the forty-sixth year 
of his age. 



PiNCKNEY, Charles C. one of the signers of the 
federal constitution, and a distinguished patriot, 
was born in South Carolina, in the year 1740. At 
an early period of the contest with Great Britain, 
he was a zealous advocate and lover of liberty, and 
distinguished himself by his courage and intrepidi- 
ty in repelling an attack made by the British fleet 
on fort Sullivan. 

For his brave conduct in this affair, he received 
the appointment of aid-de-camp, and was received 
into the family of general Washington. In this 
capacity, he served his country in the battles of 
Brandywine and Germantown, and so successfully 
won the confidence of the commander-in-chief, as 



!26S 

to be honoured by him, afterwards, both in the field 
and in the diplomatic corps, with most distinguish- 
ed and important appointments. On the approach 
of general Clinton to Charleston, he was despatch- 
ed to the south to take command of fort Moultrie, 
which he defended with his usual skill and bravery. 
On the reduction of Charleston by the British, he 
was detained a prisoner till the conclusion of the 
war, and had no further opportunity afforded him 
of serving his country. 

In 1787, he was elected a member of that en- 
lightened assembly which framed the constitution 
of the United States, and to which he affixed his 
name. He was afterwards elected a member of 
the state convention : by the force of his reasoning, 
and clear demonstration of its excellences, contri- 
buted amply to its adoption, by a considerable ma- 
jority. 

In 1794, he was appointed by president Wash- 
ington envoy extraordinary and minister plenipo- 
tentiary to the French republic, to settle the exist- 
ing differences between the two countries. It was 
on this occasion he indignantly refused the pro- 
posed terms of the French directory, demanding 
tribute as the price of peace, and secured to him- 
self the universal applause of his country. 

When these events were communicated to go- 
vernment, they excited the keenest and most ex- 
tensive indignation. The ardour of '76 was re- 
vived. "Millions for defence, but not a cent for 
tribute," was daily resounded from Maine to Geor- 
gia. 



264 



QuiNCY, JosiAH, an eminent statesman and pa- 
triot, was born in Boston, June 8, 1743. At the 
age of sixteen, he entered Harvard college, where 
he was distinguished for the vivacity of his genius, 
and his application to study. 

In 1763, he received the honours of that univer- 
sity. He afterwards became an eminent counsel- 
lor at law in Boston. 

At the bar he discovered much legal informa- 
tion. He was energetic and fluent, and seldom 
failed of impressing his sentiments upon the jury 
in the most pointed and perspicuous manner. His 
political character, however, gave him the greatest 
claim to public favour. As a friend to liberty, the 
people regarded him with admiration bordering 
on enthusiasm. He had a tongue to speak, and a 
pen to write, which have not been exceeded in this 
country. 

He opposed with firmness and zeal the arbi- 
trary proceedings and claims of the British parlia- 
ment. 

His publication, in 1774, entitled "Thoughts 
on the Boston Port Bill," &c. was a seasonable 
work, fraught with much information, and written 
with great energy. It was the means of stimulat- 
ing the body of the people to manly and decent 
exertions in defence of their natural and constitu- 
tional rights. 

The health of Mr. Quincy had been some time 
declining. Amidst his vigorous exertions for the 
public good, he thought too little of himself. 

In 1774, he sailed for England at the request of 
several of his fellow patriots to promote the in- 
terests of America. He set sail on his retui-n in 



26b 

the following year, but he died on board the ves- 
sel on the very day of its arrival at Cape Ann, 
April 24, 1775. 

He fell a victim to his zeal for his country's 
good. 



U 



'2m 



Rush, Benjamin, M. D. a celebrated Physician, 
and one of the signers of the declaration of inde- 
pendence, was born near Philadelphia, on the 24tli 
December, 1745. At the age of fourteen he enter- 
ed Princeton college, and was graduated in 1760. 
Shortly after, he commenced the study of physic, 
under Dr. John Redman, an eminent practitioner 
in Philadelphia. 

Having acquired such elementary knowledge in 
medicine as the resources of his native country at 
that time afforded, for the completion of his educa- 
tion, he repaired, in the year 1766, to the school 
of Edinburgh, then in the zenith of its utility and 
renown. 

After an assiduous attendance on the lectures 
and hospitals of that place, he, in the year 1768, 
obtained the degree of doctor of medicine. 

Having spent the succeeding winter in an atten- 
dance on the hospitals, and other sources of medi- 
cal instruction in London, and made a visit to Paris 
the following summer, to derive information from 
the schools of that metropolis, he returned to Phila- 
delphia in the course of the autumn of 1769. He 
now commenced the practice of physic with the 
brightest prospect of success, and in a very few years 
ranked with the ablest of the physicians of Phila- 
delphia. 

As a practitioner, his highest excellence lay in 
his knowledge and treatment of fever. It was in 
his combats with that form of disease that he 
manifested, at once, the strength of a giant and* 
the skill of an adept. For many years, pulmonary 
consumption and the diseases of the mind consti- 
tuted especially the objects of his attention. As a 
teacher, his qualifications were pre-eminently great. 
Ardently attached to his profession, ample in his 
resources, eloquent and animated in his delivery, 



and unusually perspicuous in his style and arrange- 
ment, his mode of communicating knowledge was 
pleasing and impressive. 

By enlightened foreigners, as well as by those 
of his own countrymen, who had visited the medi- 
cal schools of Europe, he was acknowledged to 
be one of the most popular lecturers of the age. 

In short, he was to the medical school of Phila- 
delphia, what Boerhaave was to the school of Ley- 
den, and Cullen to that of Edinburgh. 

Various are the academical honours conferred 
on him in the course of his lifetime by the univer- 
sity of Pennsylvania. In 1769, he was chosen pro- 
fessor of chymistry. In 1789, professor of the 
theory and practice of medicine. In 1791, profes- 
sor of the institutes of medicine and of clinical 
practice : and on the resignation of Br. Kuhn, he 
was promoted to the chair of the practice^ of physic. 

As a man of business, he moved in a sphere that 
was extensive and important. 

He took a zealous and active part in the revolu- 
tionary conflict which severed the British empire, 
and gave existence, as a nation, to the United 
States. 

Both his tongue and his pen were effectively 
employed in the sacred cause, and he was closely 
associated with many of the most distinguished 
American patriots of the time. In July, 1776, he 
became a member of the celebrated congress of 
that year, and, pursuant to a rule of that house, 
vsubscribed his name to the declaration of indepen- 
dence, which had been previously ratified on the 
fourth day of the same month. 

In 1777, he was appointed physician-general of 
the United States. In 1788, he was elected a mem- 
ber of the convention of the state of Pennsylv^ania, 
for the adoption of the federal constitution. 

Besides these delegated and official trusts, he 
took, as a member of the community, a very promi- 
nent concern in all the leading national transactions 



^268 

that occurred from the commencement of the revo- 
lutionary war till the organization of our present 
form of government. Cotemporary with the ter- 
mination of this latter event was the termination of 
his political life. The only appointment he ever 
held under the federal government, as an acknow- 
ledgment of all that he had contributed towards 
its establishment, was that of cashier of the mint 
of the United States. 

He was president of the Philadelphia medical 
society; vice-president of the American philoso- 
phical society, and a member of many other learn- 
ed and benevolent institutions both in America and 
Europe. 

In the midst of his honours and usefulness, ad- 
vanced in years, but in the meridian of his fame, 
he died, after a short illness, on the 19th April, 
1813. From one extreme of the United States to 
the other, the event was deplored. Even Europe 
shed a tear of sensibility on his ashes, and the 
voice of eulogy was raised to his memory. For the 
man of genius and learning, science and active phi- 
lanthropy, becomes deservedly the favourite of the 
civilized world. 

His person was above the middle size, and his 
figure slender, but well proportioned. His fore- 
head was prominent, his nose aquiline, his eyes 
blue, and highly animated. His look was fixed, 
and his whole demeanour thoughtful and grave. 

He was temperate in his diet, neat in his dress, 
and sociable in his habits. In colloquial powers 
he had few equals. His conversation was an attic 
repast. 

Considered in relation to the entire compass of 
his character ; as a practitioner, a teacher, a philo- 
sopher, and a writer. Dr. Rush must be acknow- 
ledged to have been the most distinguished physi- 
cian that America has produced. 

His professional works are comprised in five vo- 
lumes octavo. 



269 

RiTTENHOUSE, David, LL. D. F-. R. S. a distin- 
guished philosopher and astronomer, was born in 
Germantown, Pennsylvania, April 8, 1732. 

During his residence with his father in the coun- 
try, he made himself master of Newton's Prin- 
cipia. It was here likewise he became acquainted *" 
with the science of fluxions, of which sublime in- 
vention he believed himself for a while the first 
author; nor did he know for some years afterwards, 
that a contest had been carried on between New- 
ton and Leibnitz, for the honour of that great dis- 
covery. 

Thus at the age of twenty-three, without literary 
friends and without advantages, he became the rival 
of the tw^o greatest mathematicians of Europe. 

In this retired situation, he also planned and ex- 
ecuted an orrery, by which he represented the re- 
volutions of the heavenly bodies more completely 
than ever before had been done. This master- 
piece of mechanism was purchased by the college 
of New-Jersey. A second was made by him, after 
the same model, for the use of the university of 
Pennsylvania, where it has commanded for many 
years the admiration of the ingenious and the 
learned. 

In 1770, he removed to Philadelphia. His first 
communication to the philosophical society of Phi- 
ladelphia, of which hei»was a member, was a calcu- 
lation of the transit of Venus, June 3, 1769. 

This phenomenon had never been seen but twice 
before by any inhabitant of our earth, and would 
never be seen again by any person then living. On 
the 9th of November following, he observed the 
transit of Mercury. An account of these observa- 
tions was published in the transactions of the so- 
ciety. 

In 1784, he assisted in determining the western 
limits of Pennsylvania, and the northern line of the 
same state in 1786. 



270 

In 1787, he assisted in fixing the boundary line 
between Massachusetts and New-York. 

In 1791, he was chosen president of the philoso- 
phical society, as successor to Dr. Franklin, and 
was annually re-elected till his death. Soon after 
he accepted the chair he made to the society a do- 
nation of three hundred pounds. 

From 1777 to 1789, he held the ofiice of trea- 
surer of Pennsylvania. 

In 1792, he accepted the office of director of the 
mint of the United States, but his ill state of health 
induced him to resign it in 1795. 

He died June 26, 1796, in the full belief of the 
christian religion, and in the anticipation of clearer 
discoveries of the perfections of God in the eternal 
world. He was a man of extensive knowledge, 
and was intimately acquainted with the French, 
German, and Dutch languages. His mind was the 
repository of all ages and countries. 

The first four volumes of the transactions of the 
American Philosophical Society contain all of his 
mathematical and astronomical papers which have 
been published. 



Read, George, one of the signers of the decla- 
ration of independence, was born in Cecil county, 
Maryland, in the year 1734. His father soon after 
removed to Newcastle county, Delaware, where he 
settled. He received his education under the care 
of the Rev. Dr. Allison, and at the age of seven- 
teen, commenced the study of the law in the city 
of Philadelphia. 

In the year 1753, he was admitted to the bar. 

In 1754, he s-ottled in Newcastle, Delaware, and 
commenced the practice of the law. 

In 1763, he succeeded John Ross as attorney- 
general of the state. He held this office till he 



271 

wa^; elected to congress in 1775, when he resign- 
ed it. 

In 1765, he was elected a member of the assem- 
bly of Delaware, which station he continued to oc- 
cupy for twelve years in succession. 

In the mean time, however, he strenuously sup- 
ported every measure, and was very conspicuous, 
by his personal exertions, in resisting every en- 
croachment of British tyranny. 

In 1774, he was elected by the general assembly 
of Delaware, together with Csesar Rodney and 
Thomas M'Kean, Esqrs. to represent the state in 
the first congress, which met at Philadelphia. 
From this 'period he continued to represent the 
state of Delaware in congress during the whole of 
the revolutionary war. 

On the 4th of July, 1776, he signed the declara- 
tion of independence. 

In September, 1776, he was elected president of 
the convention, which formed the first constitution 
of Delaware. 

In 1782, he was appointed one of the judges of 
the court of appeals, in admiralty cases, for the 
state of Delaware. 

In 1787, he was a member of the convention 
which framed the constitution of the United States. 

Mr. Read continued in the senate of the United 
States till September, 1793, when he was appoint- 
ed chief justice of the supreme court of the state 
of Delaware. He performed the duties of this of- 
fice with great ability and integrity, till the autumn 
of 1798, when his long life of public usefulness 
was terminated by a short and sudden illness. 

In his person he was above the middle size, 
erect, and dignified in his demeanour. 



272 

Randolph, Peyton, first president of congress, 
was born at the seat of his ancestors, Virginia, 
about the year 1723. After receiving the honours 
of the college of William and Mary, he was sent to 
England, and there completed his legal education. 

On his return to Virginia, he entered, at once, 
into practice in the general court, and in a few 
years rose to eminence in his profession. 

His country soon appreciated his eminent talents, 
and when not more than twenty-five years of age, 
he was appointed king's attorney-general for the 
colony. He was in the same year, elected a mem- 
ber of the Virginia legislature, and shortly after, 
was placed at the head of the committee to revise 
the laws of the colony. 

In 1764, when the resolution of the English house 
of commons, declaring their intention of imposing 
stamp duties upon the colonies, was received in 
America, he was a member of the house of bur- 
gesses, and on this occasion gave new proofs of his 
talents and patriotism. 

Virginia, who as early as 1651, had, with arms in 
her hands, stipulated with the parliament of Great 
Britain for the exclusive right of laying her own 
taxes, was now among the first to resist this new 
and alarming attempt at encroachment upon the 
liberties of the people. 

The house of burgesses immediately determin- 
ed to send an address against it to the king, and 
he was appointed to draw it up ; and is a paper 
written in a plain, but vigorous and manly style. 

In 1766, he was appointed speaker of the house 
of burgesses. He now retired altogether from the 
bar, in order to devote himself solely to his duties 
as a legislator. 

Previous to the year 1770, the English govern- 
ment had repealed all the duties which they had 
so recently laid, except that on the single article of 
tea. The Virginia legislature again displayed their 
firmness, by an explicit declaration, that they would 



■273 

uot import goods from the mother country, unless 
this duty should also be repealed. 

On the death of lord Botetourt, 1772, the king 
appointed lord Dunmore to succeed him as govern- 
or. In May following, news reached Williams- 
burg, that parliament had passed an act to shut up 
the port of Boston. The house of burgesses, then 
in session, remonstrated at this tyrannical proceed- 
ing, and resolved that the first of June, the day on 
which the act was to go into operation, should be 
set apart as a day of fasting and prayer. But in 
the midst of these proceedings, the assembly was 
abruptly dissolved by order of the new governor. 
The members, however, met soon after, as private 
citizens, and appointed Mr. Randolph chairman. 
They drew up an address to their fellow citizens, 
declaring the late attack on the rights of the sister 
colony, menaced ruin to the rights of all. A com- 
mittee of correspondence was appointed, of which 
he was one, to communicate with the other colo- 
nies, on the expediency of calling a general con- 
gress of delegates, to deliberate on the united in- 
terests of America, from time to time, as occasion 
might require. 

Agreeably to this arrangement, the first general 
congress met in Philadelphia, September 4, 1774, 
and on the following day, he was called by the 
united voice of its members, to preside over their 
deliberations. 

In 1775, he was again chosen its president. In 
a few days, however, after the meeting of congress, 
he was called to Virginia, to resume his situation 
as speaker of the house of burgesses, which had 
been called by the governor to consider the conci- 
liatory proposition of lord North. 

In a few weeks after, he returned to congress 
and again took his seat, and Avas one of its most 
active members. He was not destined, however, 
to witness the independence of the country he had 
loved and served so faithfully. 

35' 



!274 



He died at Philadelphia of an apoplectic stroke 
October 22, 1775, in the fifty-second year of his 



a<re. 



As a politician, he was firm in his principles and 
steady in his opposition to foreign usurpation. 

He presided with uncommon dignity ; and al- 
though not eloquent, yet when he spoke his matter 
was so substantial, that no man commanded more 
attention. This, joined with the universal know- 
ledge of his worth, gave him a weight in the as- 
sembly of Virginia, which few ever attained. 



RuTLEDGE, John, one of the signers of the federal 
constitution, took an early and distinguished part 
in support of the liberties of his country at the 
commencement of the American revolution. He 
was a member of the first congress which met at 
Philadelphia in 1 774. His extraordinary powers, ex- 
tensive knowledge, and irresistible eloquence, can 
be estimated by the high encomium bestowed on 
him by the celebrated Patrick Henry, of Virginia, 
who declared that in the first congress, when there 
was as brilliant a display of talent as was ever ex- 
hibited in a collected body of legislators, " that he 
shone with superior lustre." Being asked on his 
return to his native state, ''what had been done 
by the representatives of the nation — -what kind of 
men composed that illustrious body, and particu- 
larly whom he thought the greatest manl'' he re- 
plied, "if you speak of eloquence, John Rutledgey 
of South Carolina, is the greatest orator; but if 
you speak of information and sound judgment, 
colonel Washington is unquestionably the greatest 
man on the floor". Of his decision of character 
there can exist no doubt. 

It was strongly exemplified at the very com- 
mencement of the revolutionary contest. When 



275 

the vote to appoint deputies to a continental con- 
gress was carried in the assembly of South Caro- 
lina, propositions were immediately introduced, for 
instructing the delegates to what point it was ad- 
missible for them to pledge the concurrence of the 
province to such measures as might be proposed 
for general adoption. 

John Rutledge, with great ability contended, that 
unless unshackled by restraint, and allowed to act 
at discretion, that their power to do good would be 
inadequate to the energies which the crisis de- 
manded ; and being asked, " what ought we to do 
then with these men should they make a bad use 
of the power delegated to them t" he replied, "hang 
them." 

When the temporary constitution of South Caro- 
lina was established in March, 1776, he was ap- 
pointed its president, and commander-in-chief of 
the colony. He continued in this station till the 
adoption of the new constitution in March, 1778, 
to which he refused to give his assent. He was 
opposed to it, because it annihilated the council, 
reducing the legislative authority from three to two 
branches, and was too democratic in its features. 

In 1779, however, he was chosen governor, with 
the authority, in conjunction with the council, to do 
whatever the public safety required. He soon after 
took the field at the head of the militia. His zeal 
and activity never knew abatement. His decision 
in refusing to sanction the abandonment of the fort 
on Sullivan's Island, on the approach of the fleet of 
Sir Peter Parker, must for ever redound to his 
honour, as the resistance of the intrepid garrison 
completely changed the plans of the enemy, and 
they precipitately withdrew to New-York. 

But to his guidance of the helm of government, 
during the most calamitous scenes of the war with- 
in the state, is in a great degree to be attributed 
the successes ultimately obtained over a powerful 
and triumphant enemy. He at a very early period, 



276 

perceived the superior ability of general Greene to 
direct every military operation, and with indefati- 
gable industry, seconded his views with all the In- 
fluences of the civil authority. So mild and con- 
ciliating were all his actions, that obedience went 
hand in hand with command; and the ardour of 
zeal seemed rather to solicit service than seek the 
means of avoiding it. 

This eminent patriot and able statesman died 
Januarv 23, 1800. 



RuTLEDGE, Edward, one of the signers of the 
declaration of independence, was born in the city 
of Charleston, South Carolina, in the month of 
November, 1749. He received a classical educa- 
tion, and at an early period commenced the study 
of the law with his elder brother. 

In 1769, he was sent to England to complete his 
legal education, and was entered as a student at 
the Temple. 

In 1773, he returned home, and commenced the 
practice of law in his native state. He rose rapid- 
ly to professional eminence ; and as an exalted 
proof of the general esteem in which he was held, 
he was elected a delegate to congress, which met 
at Philadelphia in 1774. On his return home, he 
received the thanks of the provincial congress, and 
was again appointed a member of the next con- 
gress. 

Owing to the secrecy which was observed by 
this august body, it is impossible to say what part 
he acted, but it is well known that he was an active 
and efficient member. 

In the congress of 1776, he took an active part 
in the discussions which preceded the declaration 
of independence. He is said to have proposed 
some alterations to the original report of this cele- 



277 

brated declaration, to which he afterwards affixed 
his name. 

He was again appointed to congress in 1779, but 
sickness prevented his attending. 

At the close of the war he returned to the prac- 
tice of his profession, as well as devoted a greater 
part of seventeen years in the service of his coun- 
try, and in the state legislature. 

In 1798, he retired from the profession of the 
law, and was elected governor of the state ; but he 
lived to complete only half the term for which he 
had been appointed. He bore his last illness with 
great fortitude, and expired January 23, 1800. 

Mr. Rutledge possessed eminent virtues both as 
a public and private character. His manners were 
the most affable, his temper amiable, and his dis- 
position benevolent. 

His person was above the middle size ; his com- 
plexion was florid and fair, and with an unusual 
animation of countenance. 

As an orator he was not so impetuous and com- 
manding as his brother John Rutledge, but pos- 
sessed more of the Ciceronian style. There was a 
suavity in his manner, and conciliating attraction 
in his arguments, that had frequently the effect of 
subduing the prejudices of the unfriendly, and 
which never failed to increase the ardour and in- 
flexibility of steady friends. The eloquence of John 
Rutledge was as a rapid torrent; that of Edward as 
a gentle and smoothly gliding stream; the first 
hurried you forward to the point it aimed at, with 
powerful impetuosity ; the last conducted to it, with 
fascinations that made every progressive step ap- 
pear enchanting. 



«» 



Ramsay, David, a celebrated historian, was born 
in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, April 2, 1749. 



278 

He was from infancy remarkable for his attach- 
ment to books, and for the rapid progress he made 
in acquiring classical literature. 

At the age of thirteen he entered Princeton, and 
at sixteen, received the honours of that celebrated 
seminary. 

He afterwards applied himself to the study of 
physic, ^and in the year 1773, took the degree of 
doctor of medicine. He then removed to Charles- 
ton, South Carolina, and rose to distinguished emi- 
nence in his profession. 

During our revolutionary struggle he was a de- 
cided and active friend of his country, and was one 
of the earliest and most zealous advocates of Ame- 
rican independence. In every period of the war 
he wrote and spoke boldly and constantly; and by 
his personal exertions in the legislature, and in the 
field, was very serviceable to the cause of Ameri- 
can liberty. 

In 1782, he was elected a member of the general 
congress. In this body he was always conspicuous, 
and particularly exerted himself in procuring relief 
for the southern states, at that time overrun by the 
enemy. 

In 1785, he was elected president of that august 
body, and continued for a whole year to discharge 
with much ability, industry, and impartiality, the 
important duties of that station. 

He is, however, best known as an historian, for 
which he was well qualified by profound learning 
and great research. 

In 1785, he published a history of the revolution 
in South Carolina, in two volumes octavo. 

In the latter part of this year, he was again 
elected a member of congress, and finding himself 
associated with many of the most distinguished 
heroes and statesmen of the revolution, and having 
free access to all the records and documents that 
could throw light on the late war ; he began to col- 
lect materials for a general history of the revo- 



279 

iution. He also conferred with Washington, Frank- 
lin, and others, and gained from them much valu- 
able information. Thus possessing greater advan- 
tages and facilities for procuring materials than 
any other individual of the United States, and be- 
ing an eye-w^itness of many of its events, and a 
conspicuous actor in its busy scenes, he complet- 
ed and published in the year 1790, a history of 
the revolution, in two volumes octavo, which was 
received with universal approbation. 

In 1801, he gave to the world the life of Wash- 
ington, which is considered as fine a piece of bio- 
graphy as can be found in any language. 

In 1808, he published the history of South Caro- 
lina, in two volumes octavo. 

He afterwards completed a history of the United 
States to the year 1808, and had not death put a 
termination to his labours, it was his intention to 
have brought it down to the end of the late war. 

This work has since been brought down to the 
treaty of Ghent by the Rev. Dr. S. S. Smith, late 
president of Princeton college, and published. 

During his leisure hours for the last forty years 
of his life, he was employed in preparing for the 
press a series of historical volumes, which, since 
his death, have been published in nine volumes 
octavo, entitled, " Universal History American- 
ised." 

He died by the hand of an assassin. May 8, 1812. 

As an historian, he is every where to be found 
the impartial and faithful recorder — the best evi- 
dence of which is, the high reputation which his 
histories sustain throughout this great republic. 

Nor is his fame as an historian confined to Ame- 
rica. It has found its way to Europe, where he is 
honoured and respected as the Tacitus of Ame- 
rica. 

His style, free from obscurity or laboured orna- 
ment, is distinguished for being chaste and classi- 
cal, a^d admirably adapted for history. 



280 

As a husband, father, and christian, he was alike 
exemplary; his habits were those of the strictest 
temperance. He usually slept four hours, rose 
before the light, and meditated with a book in liis 
hand, until he could see to read. 

He was parsimonious of his time to the highest 
degree. He, however, never read by the light of a 
candle ; with the first shades of the evening, he 
laid aside his book and his pen — surrounded by his 
family and friends, gave loose to those paternal 
and social feelings which ever dwell in the bosom 
of a good man. 



Redman, John, M. D. first president of the col- 
lege of physicians of Philadelphia, was born in that 
city, February 27, 1722. After finishing his edu- 
cation, he commenced the study of medicine. He 
afterwards proceeded to Europe and attended the 
school at Edinburgh. From thence he went to 
Paris, where he attended the lectures of that cele- 
brated school, and at length graduated at Leyden, 
in July, 1748. 

He then returned to London, and after passing- 
some time at Gray's hospital, he returned to Ame- 
rica, and settled in his native city, where he soon 
gained great and deserved celebrity. 

In the evening of his life he withdrew from the 
labours of his profession; but it was only to en- 
gage in business of another kind. 

In 1784, he was elected an elder of the second 
Presbyterian church, and the benevolent duties of 
this office employed him and gave him delight. 

He died of an apoplexy, March 19, 1808, in the 
eighty-seventh year of his age. 

As a physician his principles were derived from 
the writings of Boerhaave, but his practice was 
formed by the rules of Sydenham. He considered 



281 

a greater force of medicine necessary to cure mo- 
dern American, than modern British diseases, and 
hence he was a decided friend to depletion in all 
the virulent diseases of our country. He bled free- 
ly in the yellow fever of 1762, and threw the whole 
weight of his venerable name into the scale of the 
same remedy in the year 1793. 

In the diseases of old age he considered small 
and frequent bleedings as the first of remedies. 
He entertained a high opinion of mercury, in all 
chronic diseases. He introduced the use of tur- 
bith mineral, as an emetic, in the gangrenous sore 
throat of 1764. 

Towards the close of his life he read the latter 
medical writers, and embraced with avidity some of 
the modern opinions and modes of practice. As 
a christian, he was eminent. 



36 . 



J«J 



iSuLLiVAX, John, LL. D. a major-general in the 
American army, and president of New-Hampshire, 
is entitled to honourable distinction among the 
general officers of the American republic. 

Before the revolution he had attained to emi- 
nence in the profession of the law in New-Hamp- 
shire. But indulging a laudable ambition for mi- 
litary glory, he relinquished the fairest prospects 
of fortune and fame, and on the commencement 
of hostilities, appeared among the most ardent 
patriots and intrepid warriors. He was a member 
of the first congress, in 1774; but preferring a mi- 
litary commission, he was in 1775 appointed by 
congress a brigadier-general ; and in the following- 
year a major-general. He superseded Arnold in 
the command of the army in Canada, June 4, 1776, 
but was soon driven out of that province. 

In August following, he took command of a di- 
vision of the army in the battle on Long-Island, 
and with lord Stirling was captured by the British. 

In September he was exchanged ; and was ap- 
pointed to the command of the right division of the 
troops, in the famous battle at Trenton, and acquit- 
ted himself most honourably on that ever memor- 
able day. 

In the battles at Brandywine and Germantown, 
in the autumn of 1777, he commanded a division, 
in which he displayed his skill and bravery. 

In August, 1778, he was the sole commander of 
the expedition, which laid siege to Newport, then 
in the hands of the British ; but being abandoned 
by the French fleet under D'Estaing, who sailed to 
Boston, he was obliged, with great mortification to 
himself, to raise the siege. He effected his retreat 
with so much skill, that it greatly increased his 
military reputation as a skilful commander. 



'283 

In the summer of 1779, he commanded au expe- 
dition against tlie Six Nations of Indians, in New- 
York. In the short space of tive weeks, during 
this hazardous expedition, he encountered the most 
complicated obstacles ; explored an extensive tract 
of country; and completely dispersed his savage 
foes. 

At the close of this campaign, in consequence of 
impaired health, he resigned his commission in 
the army; and received a vote of thanks from con- 
gress. 

After his resignation, he resumed his professional 
pursuits at the bar, and was much distinguished as 
a statesman, politician, and patriot. He received 
from Cambridge university, the honorary degree of 
master of arts, and from the university of Dart- 
mouth, the honorary degree of doctor of laws. 

In the years 1786-7, and 9, he was president of 
New-Hampshire. In which station by his vigor- 
ous exertions he quelled the spirit of insurrection, 
which exhibited itself at the time of the troubles 
in Massachusetts. 

In October, 1789, he was appointed district 
judge, in which office he continued till his death, 
which iiappened January 23, 1795, aged fifty-four 
years. 



Stockton, Richard, one of the signers of the 
declaration of independence, was born near Prince- 
ton, New- Jersey, on the 1st October, 1730. He 
received the rudiments of classical science from 
the Rev. Dr. Samuel Finley, at West Nottingham ; 
from thence, he was sent to the college of New- 
Jersey, where he graduated in 1748. Soon after 
he graduated, he applied himself to the study of the 
law, under the direction of the honourable David 
Ogden. 



Ill 1754, lie was admitted to the bar, and in 1758, 
to the grade of counsellor. 

In 1763, he received the degree of sergeant-at- 
law ; and was at that time unrivalled at the bar. In 
1766, he visited England, Scotland, and Ireland, and 
was received with flattering attention by the most 
eminent men of the kingdom. On his return home 
he was, in 1774, appointed one of the judges of 
the supreme court. On the 21st June, 1776, the 
public confidence reposed in his patriotism, firm- 
ness, and abilities, by the provincial congress of 
New-Jersey, was manifested by electing him a 
member of the general congress, then sitting in 
Philadelphia. On taking his seat in this august 
assembly, he took an active part in the debates, 
particularly those which preceded the adoption and 
signing of the declaration of independence. 

During the summer and autumn of 1776, he de- 
voted the whole of his time to the pressing exigen- 
cies of his country. 

In September, he was deputed by congress one 
of the committee to inspect the northern army, and 
to report on its state, and on any further regula- 
lations which they might think necessary for its 
better government and supply. This service hav- 
ing been discharged, he again resumed his seat in 
congress. 

On the 30th November following, he was, to- 
gether with his friend and compatriot, John Coven- 
hoven, Esq. at whose house he resided, unfortu- 
nately captured by a party of refugee royalists, and 
after having suftered in the most cruel manner, 
was thrown into the common prison in New-York, 
and treated with unusual severity. Congress, im- 
mediately on learning his capture and imprison- 
ment, interposed and procured his release. His 
constitution, however, was so materially impaired 
by his sufferings, that he was never again able, ex- 
cept by counsel and advice, to render any impor- 
tant services to his countiT. 



He died on the 28th February, 1781, at his resi- 
dence, near Princeton, in the fifty-first year of his 

In his private life he was easy and graceful; in 
his manners, and in his conversation affable and 
entertaining. As a man of letters, he possessed a 
superior genius, highly cultivated by a long and as- 
siduous application. His researches into the prin- 
ciples of morals and religion were deep and accu- 
rate, and his knowledge of the laws of his country 
extensive and profound. 

In the councils of his country, he was wise and 
firm, but always prudent and moderate. 

To his superior powers of mind and professional 
learning ; he united a flowing and persuasive elo- 
quence, and he was a christian, who was an ho- 
nour to the church. 



Sherman, Roger, a distinguished patriot, and 
one of the signers of the declaration of indepen- 
dence, was born at Newton, Massachusetts, on the 
19th April, 1721. He received no other than a 
country school education, and his future attain- 
ments in general science were owing solely to his 
indefatigable exertions in the pursuit of it. 

In 1743, he removed to New-Milford, in Litch- 
field county, Connecticut. He there commenced 
business as a country merchant, in conjunction with 
his elder brother, which he continued till after his 
admission to the bar in 1754. 

At the age of thirty-three, he was elected a mem- 
ber of the legislature of Connecticut, and from this 
period we may date the commencement of his pub- 
lic career. 

In 1759, he was appointed judge of the court of 
common pleas for the county. 



286 

In 1761, he removed from New-Milford, and set- 
tled in New-Haven, and frequently represented this 
town in the legislature. 

In 1765, he was appointed one of the judges of 
the court of common pleas, and was for many years 
the treasurer of the college in New-Haven. He 
received at that time also the honorary degree of 
master of arts. 

On passing of the stamp act in 1765, Mr. Sher- 
man, who had not, heretofore, been a silent spectator 
of the arbitrary measures of Great Britain, now 
zealously opposed these exactions, and co-operated 
with his fellow members in the general opposition 
to parliamentary supremacy. 

He was one of the few, who, from the commence- 
ment of hostilities, foresaw the necessity of our en- 
tire union and complete independence, and urged 
with energy the boldest and most decisive mea- 
sures. The revolutionary war was a contest of 
principles. 

When the period arrived at which it was neces- 
sary either tamely to submit to the domination of 
the parliament, surrender our property to its dis- 
posal, and sink to the degradation of a people con- 
quered and enslaved, or boldly assert our rights 
and defend our liberties by the sword, he did not 
hesitate in choosing the alternative. He was ac- 
cordingly nominated as one of the committee to 
attend the general congress of the colonies at Phi- 
ladelphia. He was present at the opening of the 
first congress in 1774, and it is worthy of record, 
that he continued a member of congress until his 
death in 1793. In this assemblage of eminent 
characters, there was no one whose judgment was 
more respected, or whose opinions were more in- 
fluential. 

The boldness of his counsels, the decisive weight 
of his character, the steadiness of his principles, 
the inflexibility of his patriotism, his venerable ap- 
pearance, and his republican manners, presented 



287 

lo the imagination the idea of a Roman senator, in 
the early and most exemplary days of the com- 
monwealth. 

In the business of committees, he was certainly 
one of the most serviceable and indefatigable 
members of that body. Hence in this department 
he was always called upon to officiate. 

In May, 1775, he again took his seat in congress. 
During this session, the duties of congress were 
extremely arduous; and we cannot revert, without 
deep emotions of gratitude and admiration, to the 
dignity and deliberative firmness of the assembled 
sages, who in that day of peril stood firm and fear- 
less in defence of their liberties, and boldly breast- 
ed a shock which might have appalled the most re- 
solute and daring. The matters which required 
their guidance and consideration ; the dangerous 
measures which it was necessary to adopt; and the 
difficulties to be diverted and surmounted, were 
numerous and embarrassing. 

During the session of 1776, he was appointed a 
member of the principal committees for the safety 
and well-being of the colonies. 

On the 11th June, 1776, the high confidence 
placed in the abilities of Mr. Sherman, was again 
amply portrayed by his appointment, in conjunc- 
tion with that brilliant constellation of talents and 
patriotism, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, and Liv- 
ingston, to prepare the declaration of indepen- 
dence, to which he afterwards affixed his name. 

He was also successively a member of the board 
of war, of the marine committee, and of the board 
of treasury. 

In 1783, Mr. Sherman and the honourable Ri- 
chard Law were appointed to review the statutes 
of Connecticut. 

In 1787, he was appointed, in conjunction with 
Messrs. Ellsworth and Johnson, a delegate to the 
general convention to form the federal constitution 
of the United States. 



288 

The inefficacy of the old confederation for the 
preservation of public peace, became palpable soon 
after the close of the war. The powers vested in 
the several states were too great to afford any pros- 
pect of permanent union, and it was only by the 
formation of the supreme head, to direct the clash- 
ing measures, guard the opposing interests, and 
coerce the ill-advised and dangerous views of the 
several subordinate governments, that the indepen- 
dence and tranquillity which had succeeded one 
of the noblest efforts recorded in the political his- 
tory of the world, could be preserved. 

He contributed with his usual ability and perse- 
verance, to reconcile the conflicting interests and 
opinions of the delegates, and perfect that towering 
monument of political wisdom, which is without a 
rival in the history of nations. 

After the ratification and adoption of the federal 
constitution, he was elected a representative of the 
state in congress. Previous, however, to his tak- 
ing the oath required by the constitution, he resign- 
ed the office of judge of the superior court, which 
he had held with unblemished reputation for twen- 
ty-three years. 

At the expiration of two years, he was elected to 
the senate, and took an active part in the proceed- 
ings of that body. He continued to fill this ele- 
vated station, and scrupulously devoted his time 
and his talents in the service of his country, till 
the 23rd July, 1793, when this great and good man 
was gathered to his fathers, after a long life of 
virtue and usefulness. 



Smith, Samuel Stanhope, DD. LL. D. presi- 
dent of Princeton college, was born at Pequea, in 
the township of Salisbury, Lancaster, Pennsylva- 
nia, On the 16th day of March, 1750. 



289 

At the age of sixteen he entered Princeton col- 
lege, and in the year 176^, took his first degree. 
He returned to his father's family, and applied him- 
self to extending his acquaintance with science and 
literature, by the perusal of the best writers with 
which the library of the family supplied him. 

In cultivating the more elegant fields of the 
belles lettres, he seemed, however, to have taken 
the greatest pleasure, and to this species of exer- 
tion his intellectual powers appear to have been 
best adapted by nature. 

During his continuance at Princeton as a stu- 
dent, his talents and assiduity did not pass unno- 
ticed by that able divine and nice observer of men 
and things, Dr. Witherspoon ; and, accordingly, a 
vacancy occurring in the oflices of the college, he 
received from him a pressing invitation to return 
to the institution, to take under his charge the clas- 
sical studies of the college, while he should assist 
also in cultivating among the students a taste for 
the belles lettres. 

In this station he spent the two next years of his 
life, performing, with acknowledged ability, the 
duties of his office in the institution, and at the 
same time prosecuting his theological studies, as 
he had now determined, as well from the dictates 
of his understanding as the impulse of his feelings, 
to devote himself to the church. As soon as he 
had finished the usual course of reading prescribed 
to students of divinity, he left Princeton, and was 
licensed to preach the gospel by the presbytery of 
New-Castle, in Pennsylvania. 

Soon after he voluntarily offered to officiate as a 
missionary, and commenced his labours in the 
western counties of Virginia. 

Having a mind already imbued with elegant lite 
rature, and a taste improved by familiarity with the 
finest models^'of writing in the Latin, Greek, Eng- 
lish, and French languages, and withal a genius 
that kindled into enthusiasm at the success of those 



290 

celebrated preachers, whose praises and wliose tri- 
umphs of eloquence he had seen recorded in eccle- 
siastical history ; and above all, a heart deeply 
touched and interested with the great truths which 
it was his province to proclaim; the doctrines of 
the gospel were presented to his hearers in a more 
attractive form than they had ever before been able 
to conceive. In him they found solid sense and 
deep learning, recommending by their embellish- 
ments the simple and sublime truths of religion^ 
and the influence of the whole augmented by all the 
graces of style, composition, and delivery. 

His labours were consequently attended with the 
happiest effects. So strong at length, did the pub- 
lie sentiment in his favour become, that some gen- 
tlemen of wealth and influence resolved upon erect- 
ing a college, of which it was contemplated that 
he should become the president. No sooner was 
the plan projected, and the subscription list filled 
up, than they erected the buildings of the institu- 
tion, which is now called Hamden Sydney col- 
lege. 

Having now completed his missionary tour, he 
returned to Princeton, and married the daughter of 
its venerable president. Soon after this event he 
returned to Virginia, to take upon him the two- 
fold charge of principal of the seminary and pastor 
of the church. In both of these capacities he ac- 
quitted himself with the greatest talents and ad- 
dress. His reputation both as a pious and learned 
divine, and an eloquent and successful preacher, 
every day increased; and the attachment of his 
flock, and the students of the college to his person, 
was sincere and unabated during the whole time of 
his residence among them. 

In the year 1779, through the solicitation of Dr. 
Witherspoon, he accepted the appointment of pro- 
fessor of moral philosophy in Princeton college ; 
leaving his brother, the Rev. John Smith, in whom 



^91 

he reposed entire confidence, to take charge ot'the 
infant college reared under his care in Virginia. 

He then repaired to the seat of his future useful- 
ness and celebrity, and commenced his labours, 
first in superintending the fitting up the college 
which had been destroyed by the British army, 
(who had occupied it as a barrack during their 
passing and repassing through the state of New- 
Jersey,) and afterwards in discharging the duties 
of his office. The great interests of the American 
nation which were at this time pending, requiring 
the collective wisdom of her citizens to be brought 
into action for her welfare, Dr. Witherspoon, whose 
integrity, capacity, and attachment to the cause of 
patriotism had been sufficiently evinced during the 
war, was chosen by the state of New-Jersey to re- 
present her in congress. For several years he 
continued to perform his duty in congress, while he 
still held the presidency of the college, and during 
the time of his absence from that institution, the 
whole weight of his cares now necessarily devolved 
upon Mr. Smith. Nothing, however, could over- 
come his firmness and perseverance. He had from 
the commencement been the chief instrument in 
reviving the institution, and he was resolved to per- 
sist through all difficulties and discouragements to 
the accomplishment of his object. 

The superiority of his talents and the high re- 
spect which the students could not fail to enter* 
tain for liim, enabled him to fill the two-fold office 
of president and professor. 

At the close of the revolution, at the request of 
the board of trustees, . Dr. Witherspoon visited 
England, to collect funds in aid of the college. 
Soon after his return that venerable man was af- 
flicted with total blindness, and many infirmities 
which almost deprived him of power to attend to 
his duties, so that finally the whole weight and 
responsibility of the president's office devolved 
upon him. Like all men of real talent, his powei*K 



^2 

only became more conspicuous, as they were called 
into more vigorous exertion. The trustees of the 
college becoming every clay more sensible of his 
capacity and distinguished usefulness, added to his 
titles and dignities in the institution, besides the 
one of professor of moral philosophy, those of pro- 
fessor of theology and vice-president of the col- 
lege. 

In 1785, he was elected an honorary member of 
the American Philosophical Society in Philadel- 
phia; and was the same year appointed by that 
learned body to deliver their anniversary address. 
On this occasion it was, that he chose for his sub- 
ject to explain the causes of the variety in the 
figure and complexion of the human species, and 
establish the identity of the race. This masterly 
treatise was published in the transactions of the 
society, and obtained for its author deserved repu- 
tation as a pliilosopher both in his own and foreign 
countries. 

In the year following the publication of this 
work he received the degree of doctor in divinity 
from Yale college ; and some years after the degree 
of doctor of laws from Cambridge university. 

In the year 1786, he was appointed one of the 
committee, who were directed to draw up a system 
of government for the Presbyterian church in Ame- 
rica. In pursuance of this appointment was pre- 
pared and digested that judicious and excellent 
form of presbyterial government by general assem- 
blies, synods, and presbytery, which prevails at this 
time. 

In 1794, Dr. Witherspoon finished his earthly 
course, and in the following spring. Dr. Smith was 
appointed his successor, and entered upon the dig- 
nity of that office, the duties of which he had long 
before fulfilled. His talents, like all those which 
are genuine, shone more brightly in proportion to 
the elevation to which he was raised. The dignity 
of manners, mingled with a respectful attention to 



^95 

their feelings, which, on all occasions, he discover- 
ed in his deportment towards those students who 
devoted themselves to their duty, and were obe- 
dient to the laws; the clearness, comprehension, 
and force of style which he displayed as an in- 
structer to his class ; the manly and impressive elo- 
quence which he exhibited on all occasions when 
he appeared in the pulpit, rendered him the pride 
and ornament of the institution. About this time 
he published one volume of sermons, which was 
well received both in his own and foreign coun- 
tries. 

In the year 1812, his infirmities had so rapidly 
increased, he found himself unable to attend to his 
duties in college, and at the next commencement 
resigned his presidency. From this period, al- 
though only in his sixty-second year, the paralytic 
strokes with which he had been visited, had so far 
weakened his constitution, as to render him utter- 
ly incapable of his ordinary exertions of body or 
mind. Even in this enfeebled state, however, his 
natural ardour and activity in the prosecution of 
learning still continued. He now spent a portion 
of his time in correcting his works, and preparing 
for the press, that system of moral philosophy, 
which for more than twenty years he had delivered 
to the classes, and which is now ranked among the 
best works extant. 

In the spring of 1819, his strength visibly failed. 
The prospect of a speedy dissolution he now sur- 
veyed as inevitable ; and with a mind conscious of 
the most unsullied purity and uprightness of in- 
tention, he seemed to await, in unruffled tranquil- 
lity, the summons of his heavenly Father, that 
should transport him to a better world. He ap- 
peared in the language of the poet : 

To walk thoughtful on the silent, solemn shore, 

Of that vast ocean he must sail so soon. 

On the 21st August, 1819, without a struggle, 
and conversing with his family to the last, and 



294 

exhibiting entire composure and resignation, did 
this eminent man leave his transitory abode on 
earth, for one eternal in the heavens. 

Dr. Smith as a philosopher, has high claims and 
does honour to his country. His w^ork on moral 
philosophy is among the first and best productions 
of its kind in the possession of the literary world, 
and is liable to fewer objections than any other. 
The work, however, upon which, if he had written 
no other, he might found a high and well merited 
reputation as a philosopher, is that upon the variety 
of figure and complexion in the human species, 
which is among the first and best of his produc- 
tions. It is indisputably a master-piece of philo- 
sophical writing, and such as would have done ho- 
nour to any man that ever lived. His object in 
this treatise is to show that all that great variety 
exhibited among our race in their stature, com- 
plexion, and figure, may be explained from the 
united action of climate, the state of society, and 
manner of living. As a writer, he is entitled to a 
very distinguished rank. He had a mind which 
was capable of comprehending the abstruse and 
penetrating into the profound, but which following 
its natural impulses, chose rather to devote himself 
to the acquisition of what is elegant and agreeable 
in science and literature. He was versed in the 
Latin, Greek, French, and Hebrew languages; and 
his style of writing is remarkably perspicuous, full, 
flowing, polished, and elegant. 

In all his works we discover great justness and 
profoundness of observation, extensive acquaint- 
ance with science and literature, together with a 
liberal and philosophical cast of thinking. His 
principles of natural and revealed religion, ser- 
mons, and his lectures upon the evidences of 
Christianity, are works which comprise within a 
small compass, a great variety of theological learn- 
ing and useful and interesting disquisition, ex- 
pressed in a language at once neat and elegant. 



:^95 

while his doctrines are recommended by profound 
reflections and happy illustrations. As a pulpit 
orator he would have done honour to any age or 
nation. There was a dignity, and even majesty, in 
his person and appearance in the pulpit, as well 
as in his conceptions and style of speaking, which 
excited involuntary respect, and commanded the 
most unremitted attention. Adorned by his genius, 
the pulpit was converted into a fountain at once of 
light to illuminate the understanding of his hearers, 
and of heat, to warm and fructify their hearts. His 
voice was clear, full, and harmonious, and when he 
was more than usually excited by passion, every 
feature spoke, and that fine expressive eye which 
nature had given him, became lighted up with a 
fire which penetrated every heart. 



Shippen, William, M. D. F. R. S. a learned 
physician and anatomist, was born in the city of 
Philadelphia, about the year 1736. Soon after re- 
ceiving the honours of Princeton college, he com- 
menced the study of medicine, and at the age of 
twenty-one, he embarked for Europe, and prose- 
cuted his studies with the celebrated John Hunter. 
He afterwards went to Edinburgh, where he pub- 
lished his thesis, De 2)i(t'Cent(E, cum utero nexu, 
and was admitted to the degree of doctor of medi- 
cine. He then visited France, and returned home 
in 1762, and commenced the practice of midwifery, 
and teaching of anatomy by dissection. 

On the establishment of the medical school in 
Philadelphia, he was unanimously called to fill the 
professorship of anatomy and surgery in that insti- 
tution. 

About this period, he was very active in forming 
the American Philosophical Society, and during the 



296 

revolutionary war he took charge of all the journals 
and original papers. 

In 1776, he was appointed director-general of 
the medical department of the American army. In 
1781, he resigned this office to resume his former 
pursuits. 

In the year 1798, he was bereaved of an only son. 
which so afflicted him for several years, that he 
seldom attended to his duties ; and the only studies 
which he afterwards pursued were of a religious 
nature. 

In the year 1805, his spirits appeared again to 
revive, and in the winter of 1807, he delivered the 
introductory lecture, though very infirm, and dur- 
ing the same course, he also lectured on midwifery. 
He afterwards removed to Germantown. He died 
July 11, 1808. 



Stoddard, Solomon, pastor of the church of 
Northampton, Massachusetts, has always been con- 
sidered as one of the greatest divines of New-Eng- 
land. He was born in Boston, in 1643; and was 
graduated at Harvard college in 1662. He was 
afterwards appointed a fellow. His health having 
been impaired by a close application to his stu- 
dies, he went to Barbadoes, as chaplain to governor 
Serle, and preached with great acceptance to the 
dissenters on that island near two years. After 
his return, being ordained September 11, 1672, as 
successor to Mr. Mather, at Northampton, he con- 
tinued in that place till his death, February 11, 
1729, in the eighty-sixth year of his age. His col- 
league, the Rev. Jonathan Edwards, survived him. 

Mr. Stoddard was a learned man, well versed in 
religious controversies, and himself an acute dis- 
putant. 



2.97 

As a preacher, his discourses were plain, experi- 
mental, searching, and argumentative. He was 
strictly Calvinistical in his opinions upon doctrinal 
points, but more liberal than other divines of this 
country upon points of church discipline and 
government. 

His works are numerous, and many of them 
have passed through several editions. 

His work, entitled "The Safety of appearing 
at the Judgment in the Righteousness of Christ," 
was re-published at Edinburgh, 8vo. 1792, with a 
recommendatory preface by Dr. Erskine. 



Stiles, Ezra, DD. president of Yale college^ 
was born December 15, 1727. He entered Yale 
college in 1742, and was distinguished among the 
students for his bright genius, his intellectual ac- 
complishments, his moral virtues, and the suavity 
of his manners. 

In 1746, he graduated, and was esteemed one of 
the greatest scholars it had ever produced. He 
first commenced his course of life with the study 
and practice of the law : he afterwards thought it 
his duty to preach the gospel ; and settled at New* 
port, as pastor of the second congregational 
church, where he continued from 1755, to the year 
1776. 

In 1778, he was chosen president of Yale col- 
lege, and continued in this station till his death, 
May 12, 1795, in the sixty-eighth year of his age. 

Dr. Stiles was one of the most learned men of 
whom this country can boast. He had a thorough 
knowledge of the Hebrew, Greek, French, Latin, 
Samaritan, Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic, and had 
made some considerable progress in the Coptic 
and Persic lansuages. 



298 

Next to sacred literature, mathematical and as- 
tronomical science were his favourite studies. He 
had read the works of divines in various languages, 
and was thoroughly acquainted with the fathers of 
the christian church. He also possessed an inti- 
mate acquaintance with the rabbinical writings. 

As a preacher, he was most impressive and elo- 
quent, and spoke with energy and zeal. His early 
discourses were philosophical and moral; but he 
gradually became a serious and powerful preacher 
of the momentous truths of the gospel. 

Dr. Stiles had every literary honour which his 
country could bestow upon him ; was a member of 
many learned societies abroad, and was the inti- 
mate friend and correspondent of the first charac- 
ters in Europe and America. 

His publications are not numerous. They are 
known in the learned world, and consist of philoso- 
phical essays, historical narratives, sermons, and 
theological tracts. He left an unfinished ecclesias- 
tical history of New-England, and more than forty 
volumes in manuscripts. 

An account of his life and writings have been 
published by the Rev. Dr. Holmes. 



fi^ULLiVAN, James, a distinguished civilian, was 
born at Berwick, Maine, April 22, 1744. 

He was carefully educated by his father, and at a 
seasonable age he commenced the study of the 
law. In the study and practice of the law at that 
period, there were difficulties which must have se- 
verely tried the fortitude of a beginner. The ele- 
ments were in no fairer shape than Woods' Insti- 
tutes, and Coke's Commentary on Littleton. The 
wheat was hid in the chaff. There were then no 
reports and no books of forms, such as we now 
have; yet so rapid was his rise, that before the 



29[) 

revolution, he was lanlwd witli the most einiaent 
of his profession. 

He was a member of the provincial congress, and 
while he belonged to that body in 1775, was sent 
on a difficult mission to Ticonderoga, for which he 
received a vote of thanks. 

In 1776, he was appointed a judge of the supe- 
rior court, with John Adams, William Gushing, and 
others. He afterwards assisted as a member of 
the convention, to form the state constitution, and 
continued a judge of the supreme judicial court un- 
til February, 1782, when he resigned and returned 
to the practice of the law. In 1783, he represent- 
ed Massachusetts in congress ; and in the ensuing 
year acted as one of the commissioners in the set- 
tlement of the controversy then existing between 
the states of Massachusetts and New- York, con- 
cerning their respective claims to the Western 
lands. 

He was repeatedly chosen to represent the town 
of Boston in the legislature; in 1787, was a mem- 
ber of the executive council ; the same year was 
made judge of probate for the county of Suffolk, 
and in 1790, attorney-general. 

In 1796, he was appointed by president Wash- 
ington, a commissioner under the fifth article of the 
British treaty, for settling the boundaries between 
the United States and the British provinces. 

In June, 1807, he was called to the chief magis- 
tracy of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and 
while in the discharge of the duties of that high 
station, he was called to pay the debt of nature 
October 17, 1808. 

In his person he was commanding, and of very 
dignified manners. His features were remarkably 
fine, and the expression intelligent and placid. 

As a civilian, he sustained the first rank. He was 
as well versed in special pleading and all the forms 
of practice, as in the science of the law. The 
great traits of his mind were force, comprehensive- 



.300 

ness, and ardour. Nothing of consequence in any 
cause escaped the fullness and intensity of his, 
thoughts. His arguments were clear, close, and 
strong, not calculated so much for parade as to 
secure conviction. In his administration he was 
wise, upright, and impartial. Political and profes- 
sional pursuits did not wholly engross his care. 
Letters and science received his aid and encourage- 
ment. He was one of the first members of the 
American academy of arts and sciences; one of 
the founders, and many years president of the Mas- 
sachusetts historical society. 

As a writer, he published the History of Land 
Titles in Massachusetts; the History of the Dis- 
trict of Maine ; a Treatise on the Constitutional Li- 
berty of the Press ; History of the Penobscot In- 
dians, & c. Every one of his works glows with the 
fervour of true patriotism and benevolence, and in 
point of style are neat and finished performances. 



Stark, John, a brigadier-general in the Ameri- 
can army during the revolutionary war, was born 
at Londonderry, New-Hampshire, on the 17th Au- 
gust, 1728. 

When at the age of twenty-one years, he was, 
while on a hunting excursion, surprised and cap- 
tured by the Indians, and remained four months a 
prisoner in their hands. He was captain of a com- 
pany of rangers in the provincial service during the 
French war of 1755, and was with lord Howe when 
he was killed in storming the French lines atTi- 
Gonderoga, in July, 1758. At the close of that war, 
he retired with the reputation of a brave and vigi- 
lant officer. When the report of Lexington battle 
reachedhim, he was engaged at work in his saw- 
mill. Fired with indignation and a martial spirit, he 
immediately seized his musket, and with a band of 



301 

heroes proceeded to Cambridge, and the morning 
after his arrival, he received a colonel's commis- 
sion. 

On the memorable 17th June, 1775, at Breed's 
Hill, colonel Stark, at the head of his division, 
poured on the enemy that deadly fire, which com- 
pelled the British columns tv^^ice to retreat. Dur- 
ing the vs^hole of this dreadful conflict, colonel 
Stark evinced that consummate bravery and intre- 
pid zeal, which entitle his name to honour and per- 
petual remembrance in the pages of our history. 
We next find him at Trenton, in December, 1776, 
where he shared largely in the honours of that ever 
memorable battle. But colonel Stark reached the 
climax of his fame, when in the darkest and most 
desponding periods of the revolution he achieved 
a glorious victory over the enemy at Bennington, 
of twice the force under his command. In this 
victory he took upwards of seven hundred pri- 
soners, besides four brass field-pieces. Congress, 
on the 4th October, 1777, in consideration of his 
important services, promoted him to the rank of 
brigadier-general in the army of the United States. 
General Stark volunteered his services, under ge- 
neral Gates at Saratoga, and assisted in the coun- 
cil which stipulated the surrender of general Bur- 
goyne ; nor did he relinquish his valuable services 
till he could greet his native country as an inde- 
pendent empire. 

He lived to the advanced age of ninety-three 
years, and died May 8, 1822. 



Stewart, Charles, commodore in the navy of 
the United States, was born in Philadelphia, July 
22, 1778. 

Shortly after receiving a good education he en- 
tered the merchant service, and in a few years 



afterwards, was promoted to the command of a 
ship. 

At the commencement of the rupture with France 
in 1798, he received the appointment of a lieute- 
nancy in the navy of the United States, and enter- 
ed the service on board of the frigate United 
States. 

In 1800, he was appointed to the command of 
the Experiment of twelve guns, and was ordered 
to cruise in the West India seas. 

While on that station, he engaged and captured 
the Deux Amies of twelve guns, the Diana of eigh- 
teen guns, the Louisa of eight guns, besides mer- 
chantmen, and rescued American property to a 
large amount. 

On peace being restored, he was transferred to 
the Constellation frigate, and sailed with captain 
Murray to the Mediterranean. On his return home, 
he was appointed to the command of the brig 
Siren, and sailed again to the Mediterranean, and 
participated in the splendid victories over the Tri- 
poli tans. 

In 1806, he was promoted to the rank of cap- 
tain. 

During the late war with Great Britain, he was 
appointed to the command of the frigate Constitu- 
tion, and in December, 1813, proceeded to sea 
from Boston harbour, although blockaded at that 
time by seven ships of the line. During this cruise 
he captured the schooner Picton of sixteen guns, 
and a letter of marque ship under her convoy, be- 
sides several merchantmen. 

He sailed again in April, 1814, and captured the 
British brig Lord Nelson. After cruising for some 
time off Cape Finisterre, and the Madeiras, he at 
last fell in with and engaged two of his majesty's 
ships, and in less than forty minutes, both struck. 
They proved to be the Cyane of thirty-four guns, 
and the Levant of thirty-eight guns. He then pro- 
ceeded home with his prizes, and on arriving at 



V303 

Boston, he was informed of the restoration of peace 
between the two countries. 

He was afterwards appointed a member of the 
navy board, and lately to the command of the 
Franklin 74. 



Schuyler, Philip, a major-general in the revo- 
lutionary war, received this appointment from con- 
gress, June 19, 1775. He was directed to proceed 
immediately from New-York to Ticonderoga, to se- 
cure the lakes, and to make preparations for enter- 
ing Canada. Being taken sick in September, the 
command devolved upon Montgomery. On his re- 
covery he devoted himself zealously to the manage- 
ment of the affairs in the northern department. 
The superintendence of the Indian concerns claim- 
ed much of his attention. 

On the approach of Burgoyne, in 1777, he made 
every exertion to obstruct his progress; but the 
evacuation of Ticonderoga, by St. Clair, occasion- 
ing unreasonable jealousies in regard to Schuyler 
in New-England, he was superseded by Gates in 
August, and congress directed an inquiry to be 
made into his conduct. It was a matter of extreme 
chagrin to him to be recalled at the moment when 
he was about to take ground and face the enemy. 
He afterwards, though not in the regular service, 
rendered important services to his country in the 
military transactions of New-York. He was a 
member of the old congress, and when the present 
government of the United States commenced its 
operations in 1789, he was appointed with Rufus 
King a senator from his native state. 

In 1797, he was again appointed a senator in the 
place of Aaron Burr. He died at Albany, Novem- 
ber 18, 1804, in the seventy-third year of his age. 



304 

Distinguished by strength of intellect and upright 
intentions, he was wise in the contrivance, and en- 
terprising and persevering in the execution of plans 
of public utility. In private life he was dignified, 
but courteous, a pleasing and instructive compa- 
nion, affectionate in his domestic relations, and 
just in all his dealings. 



;»u,:> 



Trumbull, John, LL. D. a distinguished poet, 
was born at Watertown, Connecticut, April 24, 
1750. At the age of thirteen, he entered Yale col- 
lege, and graduated in 1767. Being now master 
of his own time, he devoted himself chiefly to po- 
lite literature ; reading all the Greek and Latin 
classics, especially the poets and orators. At this 
period he commenced an acquaintance with Bai'- 
low, Dwight, and Humphreys, an intimacy which 
terminated only in death. 

In 1769, they began the publication of a series 
of essays in the manner of the Spectator, in the 
Gazette, printed at Boston, and afterwards in the 
newspapers printed at New-Haven. 

In 1772, he published the first part of a poem, 
which he entitled, the Progress of Dullness, de- 
signed to expose the absurd methods of education, 
which then prevailed : he added a second and third 
part in the course of the next year. 

In 1773, he went to Boston and commenced the 
study of the law in the office of John Adams, Esq. 
since president of the United States. The contest 
between Great Britain and the colonies approach- 
ed rapidly towards a crisis. With all the ardour 
in favour of liberty which characterizes a youth- 
ful politician, he entered the arena with the leaders 
of the revolution, and occasionally contributed po- 
litical essays to the public gazettes. 

The year 1775 was a period of terror arid dis- 
may. The war had commenced by the battle at 
Lexington. Unconditional submission, or a total 
rejection of the authority of the crown, presented 
the only alternative. Every exertion was therefore 
made by the friends of American liberty, to inspire 
confidence in our cause, to crush the efforts of the 



306 

tory party, and to prepare the public mind for the 
declaration of independence. With these views 
at the solicitation of some of his friends in con- 
gress, he wrote the first part of the poem of McFin- 
gal, which was immediately published at Philadel- 
phia, where congress was then assembled. 

It was not, however, until the close of the year 
1782, that he found time to complete this poem, 
and to publish it entire as it now appears. 

After the adoption of the federal constitution, 
Mr. Trumbull was first called forth to act in a pub- 
lic capacity. From that period he continued to be 
employed in public life, till the year 1801, when he 
was appointed judge of the superior court of Con- 
necticut. 

In 1808, he received from the legislature the ad- 
ditional appointment of a judge of the supreme 
court of errors. 

His poetical works have been published in two 
volumes octavo, 1820. 



Tappan, David, DD. professor of divinity in 
Cambridge university, was born at Manchester, 
Massachusetts, April 21, 1752. In the year 1771, 
he received the honours of the university. After 
pursuing the study of divinity for tliree years, he 
commenced preaching, and was ordained minister 
of the third church in Newbury, in April, 1774. 

In this place he continued about eighteen years. 
In June, 1792, he was elected professor of divinity 
in Cambridge university. When he was introduc- 
ed into this office, the students of the university 
were uncommonly dissolute. For some time they 
had received no regular instruction in theology, 
and the tide of opinion began to run in the channel 
of infidelity. But the lectures of Dr. Tappan, 
which combined entertainment with information : 



307 

which were profound and yet prophetic ; elegant in 
style and conclusive in argument, and which came 
warm from a pious heart, soon checked the pro-; 
gress of profanity, and put open irreligion to 
shame. 

After a short sickness, he died August 27, 1803, 
and was succeeded in the professorship by the Rev. 
Dr. Ware. 

Dr. Tappan possessed much activity and vigour 
of mind, fertility of invention, and force of imagi- 
nation. His readiness of conception and com- 
mand of language enabled him both in speaking 
and writing to express what he thought and felt 
with propriety, perspicuity, and force. 

Since his death two volumes have been publish- 
ed from his manuscripts, the one of sermons, and 
the other entitled Lectures on Jewish Antiquities, 
8vo, 1807. 



Trumbull, Jonathan, a distinguished patriot 
and governor of Connecticut, was born at Leba- 
non in 1710, and was graduated at Harvard col- 
lege in 1727. He early discovered fine talents, 
and for some time studied divinity. He after- 
wards turned his attention to jurisprudence, and 
soon became an eminent civilian. He was chosen 
governor in 1769, and was annually elected till 
1783, when he resigned, having been occupied for 
fifty years, without interruption, in public employ- 
ments, and having rendered during eight years war 
the most important services to his country. No 
man ever loved his country more. He showed 
himself the honest and unshaken patriot, the wise 
and able magistrate. Having seen the termination 
of the contest in the establishment of the indepen- 
dence of America, he withdrew from public la- 
bours, that he might devote himself to the concerns 



of religion, and to a better preparation for his fu- 
ture existence. He died August 17, 1785, in the 
seventy-fifth year of his age. 

General Washington, in a letter of condolence 
©n his death, to one of his sons, wrote thus; "Un- 
der this loss, however, great as your pangs may 
have been at the first shock, you have every thing 
to console you. A long and well-spent life in the 
service of his country placed governor Trumbull 
among the first of patriots ; in the social duties he 
yielded to none; and his lamp from the common 
course of nature being nearly extinguished, worn 
down with age and cares, but retaining his mental 
faculties in perfection, are blessings which attend 
rarely his advanced life All these combining, 
have secured to his memory universal respect here, 
and no doubt, increasing happiness hereafter." 

Governor Trumbull made a great collection of 
historical papers, manuscripts, &c. which have 
been presented to the Massachusetts Historical 
Society. 



Thornton, Matthew, one of the signers of the 
declaration of independence, was born in Ireland, 
about the year 1714. 

Two or three years subsequent to his birth, his 
father emigrated to this country with his family, 
and settled in the district of Maine. In a few 
years he removed to Massachusetts, where he con- 
ferred the benefits of an academical education upon 
his son, whom he designed for one of the learned 
professions. He accordingly commenced and pro- 
secuted his medical studies at Leicester, Massa- 
chusetts, and after the usual preparatory course, 
embarked in the practice of medicine in London- 
derry, New-Hampshire. Here he soon acquired 
considerable reputation as a physician and sur- 



309 

geoii, and in a few years became comparatively 
wealthy. 

He had the honour to fill several important of- 
fices previous to the year 1776, in which year he 
was appointed a delegate to represent the state 
of New-Hampshire in congress. During this ever 
memorable year, he affixed his name to the decla- 
ration of independence. 

In 1779, Dr. Thornton removed to Exeter, where 
he purchased a fine farm, and made it afterwards 
his permanent residence. 

In this delightful retreat, being far advanced in 
life, iie relinquished in a great measure the prac- 
tice of medicine. He however interested himself 
in the municipal affairs of the town, and was for 
several years chosen one of the selectmen. 

On the great question which was decided in fa- 
vour of our national independence, he was inva- 
riably steadfast, and at all times evinced his readi- 
ness to support with his property and life, the de- 
claration to which he had publicly subscribed. His 
political character may be best estimated by the 
fact, that he enjoyed the confidence, and was the 
unshaken disciple of Washington. 

He died in Newburyport, Massachusetts, while 
on a visit to his daughters, June 24, 1803, in the 
eighty-ninth year of his age. 

Doctor Thornton was a man of large stature, 
exceeding six feet in height; his complexion was 
dark, and his eye black and penetrating. His 
countenance was invincibly grave, like that of Cas- 
sius, who read much, and never smiled. In his 
deportment, he was dignified and commanding, 
without austerity or hauteur. 

The grave of this eminent man is covered by a 
white marble slab, upon which are inscribed hig 
name and age, with the brief but noble epitaph ; 

"AN HONEST MAN." 



Tompkins, Daniel D. fifth vice-president of the 
United States, was born at Scarsdale, New-York, 
June 21, 1774. 

He entered Columbia college in 1792, and in 
three years afterwards graduated with distinguish- 
ed reputation for scholarship. On leaving college, 
he immediately commenced the study of the law, 
and was admitted to practice in the supreme court 
in the year 1797. 

His commanding talents and stern integrity soon 
made him a favourite with the people, from whom 
he has since received the highest political honours. 

In 1802, he was elected a member of the state 
legislature, and in the following year appointed 
judge of the superior court of New- York. 

He continued to discharge the duties of chief 
justice until the spring of 1807, when he was elect- 
ed governor of the state. 

From this period until the close of the late war, 
he was active in her councils, and rendered the 
most important services to his country. 

In 1817, he was elevated, in consideration of his 
distinguished talents and important services, to the 
exalted station of vice-president of the United 
States. 



311 



Whipple, William, one of the signers of the 
declaration of independence, was born at Kittery, 
in the district of Maine, in the year 1730. He re- 
ceived an education suited only to a seafaring life, 
in which he embarked at an early age. 

In the year 1759, he abandoned the sea and 
commenced business in connexion with his brother 
in the town of Portsmouth, New-Hampshire. 

At an early period of the contest he took a de- 
cided part in favour of the colonies, in their op- 
position to the claims of Great Britain ; and his 
townsmen placing the highest confidence in his 
patriotism and integrity, frequently elected him to 
offices which required great firmness and modera- 
tion. 

When the disputes between the two countries 
were approaching to a crisis, he was in the year 
1775, chosen one of the provincial committee of 
safety for the town of Portsmouth. 

In 1776, he was chosen a delegate to the general 
congress, which met at Philadelphia, and accord- 
ingly took his seat in that august body on the 29th 
February. He continued to be re-elected to that 
distinguished situation in the years 1777, 1778, and 
1779, and applied himself with great diligence and 
ability to the discharge of its duties, when the mi- 
litary services which he rendered during that pe- 
riod, permitted him to be an acting member of the 
New-Hampshire delegation. 

In the middle of September, 1779, he finally re- 
tired from congress, after having attended, without 
the least intermission, at his post of duty, from the 
5th of the preceding month of November. 

The memorable day which gave birth to the de- 
claration of independence, afforded in the case of 



31^ 

Mr. Whipple, a striking example of the uncertain- 
ty of human affairs, and the triumphs of persever- 
ance. The cabin boy, who, thirty years before, 
had looked forward to the command of a vessel as 
the consummation of all his hopes and wishes, now 
stood amidst the congress of 1776, and looked 
around upon a conclave of patriots, such as the 
world had never witnessed. He, whose ambition 
once centred in inscribing his name as commander 
upon a crew-list, now affixed his signature to a do- 
cument, which has embalmed it for posterity. 

In the year 1777, Mr. Whipple was called upon 
to act in untried scenes, and exchange his political 
for a military character. On the invasion of gene- 
ral Burgoyne, Mr. Whipple and John Stark, were 
appointed brigadier-generals, with orders to em- 
body the militia, and to stop the progress of the 
enemy. The latter, with the second brigade, pro- 
ceeded to Bennington, (where the enemy had a 
large body of troops under the command of lieu- 
tenant-colonel Baum,) attacked their works and 
put them to flight. Soon after this victory, general 
Whipple marched with the first brigade to join the 
standard of general Gates. In the desperate bat- 
tles of Stillwater and of Saratoga, the troops of 
general Whipple gained a large share of honour 
due to the American army. The consequence of 
these engagements was the surrender of general 
Burgoyne. 

In 1780, immediately after his retirement from 
congress, he was elected a member of the state le- 
gislature, to which office he was repeatedly chosen, 
and continued to enjoy the confidence and appro- 
bation of his fellow citizens. 

In 1782, he was appointed a judge of the supe- 
rior court, which office he held until his death, 
which happened November 28, 1785, in the fifty- 
fifth year of his age. 

General Whipple was possessed of a strong 
mind, and quick discernment. He was easy in his 



313 

manners, courteous in his deportment, correct iu 
his habits, and constant in his friendships. 

He enjoyed through life a great share of the 
public confidence ; and although his early education 
was limited, his natural good sense, and accurate 
observations, enabled him to discharge the duties 
of the several offices with which he was intrust- 
ed, with credit to himself and benefit to the pub- 
lic. 

Few men rose more rapidly and worthily in the 
scale of society, or bore their new honours with 
more modesty and propriety. 

Such was William Whipple, whose name, united 
with the great charter of our freedom, will perish 
only with the records of the republic. 



WiLLARD, Samuel, vice-president of Harvard 
college, was one of the most celebrated divines of 
New-England. He was graduated at Harvard col- 
lege in 1659. He was ordained a minister at Gro- 
ton, but afterwards was settled as colleague with 
Mr. Thacher, the first minister of the old South 
Church in Boston, April 10, 1678. After the re- 
signation of president Mather, he as vice-president 
took the superintendence of Harvard college, and 
presided over that institution till his death, Sep- 
tember 12, 1707, at the age of sixty-eight years. 

Mr. Willard possessed very superior powers of 
mind. His imagination was rich though not luxu- 
riant ; his perception was rapid and correct ; and in 
argument he was profound and clear. His learn- 
ing also was very considerable. In controversy 
he was a champion, defending the cause of truth 
with courage, and with enlightened and affectionate 
zeal. 

No divine, except Dr. Cotton Mather, in this 
country, prepared more works for the press ; and 

40 



^14 

they were all calculated to do honour to the author, 
and edify pious people. 

Mr. Willard's largest work, and the first folio 
volume, on divinity, printed in this country, was 
published in 1726, entitled, A Body of Divinity, in 
two hundred and fifty expository Lectures on the 
Assembly's shorter Catechism. It is considered 
as a work of great merit. 



Williams, Roger, the father of Providence Plan- 
tation, was born in Wales, in 1599, and was edu- 
cated at the university of Oxford. After having 
been for some time a minister in the church of 
England, his non-conformity induced him to seek 
religious liberty in America. He arrived at Bos- 
ton, February 5, 1631. In April, he was chosen 
an assistant to Mr. Skelton in the ministry at Sa- 
lem, and after his death was the sole minister of 
the church. 

In 1635, in consequence of his peculiar senti- 
ments and puritanic zeal, the sentence of banish- 
ment was passed upon him. He went to Seek- 
honck, now called Rehoboth. He afterwards fix- 
ed upon Mooshausick, which he named Provi- 
dence, in acknowledgment of God's goodness to 
him. He purchased the land of the Indians, and 
while he enjoyed liberty of conscience himself, he 
granted it to others. Having embraced the senti- 
ments of the baptists, he was baptized in March, 
1639, by one of his brethren ; and he then baptized 
ten others. 

As the founder of one of the provinces, and a 
writer in favour of civil and religious freedom, he 
was more bold, just, and liberal, than any other 
who appeared in that generation. 

Many would smile at seeing the name of Roger 
Williams enrolled with the legislators of ancient 



315 

times, or with the statesmen of modern Europe, or 
with such a man as Penn, whose steps were more 
majestic upon the theatre of the great world; but 
this man was equal to conducting the affairs of 
this infant colony as well as if a complete system 
of legislation was formed ; and, as a mediator be- 
tween the aboriginies and the colonists, if he were 
the instrument of preserving the peace, of teaching' 
the Indians some of the arts of life, and of illumi- 
nating the minds of the heathen with the light of 
Christianity, he is certainly worthy of more credit, 
than some mighty hunters of the earth, or those 
sages whose maxims have made men fierce and 
revengeful, and caused human blood to flow in 
streams. 

He died in April, 1683, at the age of eighty-four 
years. 

His memory is deserving of lasting honour for 
the correctness of his opinions respecting liberty 
of conscience, and for the generous toleration 
which he established. So superior was he to the 
meanness of revenge, and such was his magnani- 
mity, that he exerted all his influence with the In- 
dians in favour of Massachusetts, and ever evinced 
the greatest friendship for the colony from which 
he had been driven. 

His talents were of a superior order. In the re- 
ligious doctrines, which he embraced, he seems to 
have been remarkably consistent. The scriptures 
he read in the originals. He published a key to 
the language of the Indians of New-England, octavo, 
1643; Truth and Peace, 1644. In this book are 
disclosed sentiments which have been admired in 
the writings of Milton and Furneaux. His ideas 
of toleration he carried further than Mr. Locke, 
but not beyond the generality of dissenters in Eng- 
land. 



316 

Warren, Joseph, a major-general in the Ame- 
rican army, and a distinguished patriot, was born 
at Roxbury, Massachusetts, in the year 1741. At 
the age of fifteen he entered Harvard college, and 
received the honours of that seminary in 1759, and. 
1762. On leaving college he directed his atten- 
tion to the study of medicine, and in a few years 
became one of the most eminent physicians in 
Boston. But he lived at a period, when greater 
objects claimed his attention, than those which re- 
lated particularly to his profession. The calls of 
a distracted country were paramount to every con- 
sideration of his own interests ; and he entered the 
vortex of politics, never to return to the peaceful 
course of professional labour. 

The change in public opinion had been gradual- 
ly preparing the minds of most men for a revolu- 
tion. This was not openly avowed; amelioration 
of treatment for the present, and assurances of 
kindness in future, were all that the colonies asked 
from Great Britain ; but these they did not receive. 

The mother country mistook the spirit of her 
children, and used threats when kindness would 
have been the best policy. When Britain declared 
her right to direct, govern, and tax us in any form, 
and at all times, the colonies reasoned, remonstrat- 
ed, and entreated for a while ; and when these 
means did not answer, they defied and resisted. 
The political writers of the province had been ac- 
tive and busy, but they were generally screened by 
fictitious names, or sent their productions anony- 
mously into the world ; but the time had arrived 
when speakers of nerve and boldness were wanted 
to raise their voices against oppression in every 
shape. Warren possessed first-rate qualities for 
an orator, and had early declared in the strongest 
terms his political sentiments, which were some- 
what in advance of public opinion; for he held as 
tyranny all taxation, which could be imposed by 
the British parliament upon the colonies. 



M7 

His first object was to enlighten the people ; and 
then he felt sure of engaging their feelings in the 
general cause. He knew when once they began, 
it would be impossible to tread back — indepen- 
dence only would satisfy the country. 

He embraced every opportunity to assert and 
defend the most bold and undisguised principles 
of liberty, and defying in their very teeth the agents 
of the crown. 

Twice he was elected to deliver the oration on 
the 5th of March, in commemoration of the massa- 
cre ; and his orations are among the most distin- 
guished productions by that splendid list of speak- 
ers who addressed their fellow citizens on this sub- 
ject, so interesting to them all. These occasions 
gave the orators a fine field for remark, and a fair 
opportunity for eflfect. The great orators of anti- 
quity in their speeches attempted only to rouse the 
people to retain what they possessed. Invective, 
entreaty, and pride had their effect in assisting 
these mighty masters to influence the people. 
They were ashamed to lose what their fathers left 
them, won by their blood, and so long preserved 
by their wisdom, their virtues, and their courage. 
Our statesmen had a harder task to perform, for 
they were compelled to call on the people to gain 
what they had never enjoyed — an independent 
rank and standing among the nations of the world. 

From the year 1768, he was a principal member 
of a secret meeting or caucus in Boston, which had 
great influence on the concerns of the country. 
With all his boldness, and decision, and zeal, he 
was circumspect and wise. 

His next oration was delivered March 6, 1775. 
It was at his own solicitation that he was appointed 
to this duty a second time. This fact is illustra- 
tive of his character, and worthy of remembrance. 

Some of the British oflScers of the army then in 
Boston had publicly declared that it should be at 
the price of the life of any man to speak of the 



3i§ 

event of March 5, 1770, on that anniversary. War- 
ren's soul took fire at such a threat, so. openly 
made, and he wished for the hour of braving it. 
The day came, and the weather was remarkably 
fine. The old south meeting-house was crowded 
at an early hour. The British officers occupied 
the isles, the flight of steps to the pulpit, and 
several of them were in it. The orator, with the 
assistance of his friends, made his entrance at the 
pulpit window by a ladder. The officers seeing 
his coolness and intrepidity, made way for him to 
advance and address the audience. An awful still- 
ness preceded his exordium. Each man felt the 
palpitations of his own heart, and saw the pale but 
determined face of his neighbour. The speaker 
began his oration in a firm tone of voice, and pro- 
ceeded with great energy and pathos. 

The scene was sublime ; a patriot in whom the 
flush of youth, and the grace and dignity of man- 
hood were combined, stood armed in the sanctuary 
of God, to animate and encourage the sons of liber- 
ty, and to hurl defiance at their oppressors. 

Such another hour has seldom happened in the 
history of man, and is not surpassed in the records 
of nations. 

The thunders of Demosthenes rolled at a dis- 
tance from Phillip and his host — and Tully poured 
the fiercest torrent of his invective when Catiline 
was at a distance, and his dagger no longer to be 
feared; but Warren's speech was made to proud 
oppressors resting on their arms, whose errand it 
was to overawe, and whose business it was to 
fight. 

If the deed of Brutus deserved to be commemo- 
rated by history, poetry, painting, and sculpture — 
should not this instance of patriotism and bravery 
be held in everlasting remembrance 1 If he 

" That struck the foremost man of all this world, 

was hailed as the first of freemen, wlmt honour* 



519 

are not due to him, who undismayed bearded th© 
British lion, to show the world what his country-' 
men dared to do in the cause of liberty 1 If the 
statue of Brutus was placed among those of the 
gods, who were the preservers of Roman freedom, 
should not that of Warren fill a lofty niche in the 
temple reared to perpetuate the remembrance of 
our birth as a nation l 

It was he, who on the evening before the battle 
of Lexington obtained information of the intended 
expedition against Concord, and at 10 o'clock at 
night despatched an express to Messrs. Hancock 
and Adams, who were at Lexington, to warn them 
of their danger. 

On the next day he hastened to the field of action, 
in the full ardour of his soul, and shared the dan- 
gers of the day. The people were delighted with 
his bravery, and already considered him as a leader, 
whose gallantry they were to admire, and in whose > 
talents they were to confide. 

On the 14th June, 1775, the provincial congress 
of Massachusetts, appointed him a major-general 
of their forces. He was at this time president of 
the provincial congress, having been elected the 
preceding year a member from the town of Bos- 
ton. In this body he discovered his extraordinary 
powers of mind, and his peculiar fitness for respon- 
sible offices at such a juncture. 

On the 18th, when the intrenchments were made 
at Bunker's Hill, he, to encourage the men within 
the lines, went down from Cambridge, and acted 
as a volunteer. Just as the retreat commenced, 
a ball struck him on the head, and he died in the 
trenches, aged thirty-five years. He was the first 
victim of rank that fell in the struggle of Great 
Britain. In the requiem over those who have 
fallen in the cause of their country, which 

*' Time with his own eternal lips shall sing," 

the praises of Warren shall be distinctly heard. 



520 



His mind was vigorous, his disposition humane, 
and his manners affable and engaging. In his 
integrity and patriotism entire confidence was 
placed. To the most undaunted bravery he added 
the virtues of domestic life, the eloquence of an 
accomplished orator, and the wisdom of an able 
statesman. 



Wayne, Anthony, a major-general in the army 
of the United States, was born in Chester county, 
Pennsylvania, in 1745. 

In 1773, he was appointed a representative to 
the general assembly, where in conjunction, with 
John Dickinson, Thomas Mifflin, Charles Thomp- 
son, and other gentlemen, he took an active part 
in opposition to the claims of Great Britain, and 
was of material service in preparing the way for 
the firm and decisive part which Pennsylvania 
took in the general contest. 

In 1775, he quitted the councils of his country 
for the field. He entered the army as a colonel, 
and at the close of the year accompanied general 
Thompson to Canada. When this officer was de- 
feated in his enterprise in June, 1776, and was taken 
prisoner, colonel Wayne, although wounded, dis- 
played great gallantry and intrepidity in bringing 
off the scattered bodies of troops. 

In the same year he served at Ticonderoga un- 
der general Gates, by whom he was esteemed both 
for his courage and military talents, and for his 
knowledge as an engineer. At the close of this 
campaign he was made a brigadier-general. In 
the following campaigns he greatly distinguished 
himself at the battles of Brandywine, Germantown, 
and Monmouth. For his most daring and success- 
ful assault upon Stony Point, in July, 1779, con- 
gress presented to him a gold medal emblematic 



mi 

of the action. In 1781, he was ordered to march 
with the Pennsylvania line from the northward, 
and form a junction with La Fayette in Virginia. 
On the 6th of July, after receiving information, 
that the main body of the enemy under Lord Corn- 
wallis had crossed James river, he pressed forward 
at the head of eight hundred men. to attack the 
rear guard. But to his utter astonishment, when 
he reached the place, he found the whole British 
army drawn up to receive him. At this moment 
he conceived of but one way to escape. He rush- 
ed towards the enemy till he came within twenty- 
five yards, when he commenced a gallant attack, 
which he supported for a few minutes, and then 
retreated with the utmost expedition. The Bri- 
tish general was confounded by this movement, and 
apprehensive of an ambuscade from La Fayette, 
would not allow of a pursuit. 

After the capture of Lord Cornwallis, he was 
sent to conduct the war in Georgia, where, with 
equal success, he vanquished the savage foe. As 
a reward for his services, the legislature of Georgia 
presented him with a valuable farm. 

In 1787, he was a member of the Pennsylvania 
convention, which ratified the constitution of the 
United States. 

In 1792, he succeeded general St. Clair in the 
command of the army on the western frontier. In 
a general engagement with the Indians, he gained 
a complete victory; and afterwards desolated their 
country. On the 3d of August, 1795, he concluded 
a treaty with the hostile Indians northwest of the 
Ohio. Having now shielded his country from the 
murderous tomahawk of the Indian savages, and 
established her boundaries ; after a life of glory 
and renown, he expired in a hut at Presque Isle, 
December 15, 1796, aged fifty-one years, and was 
buried on the shore of lake Erie. 



'U 



Mil 

WiLLiAiiisoN, Hugh, M. D. LL. D. one of the 
signers of the Federal constitution, was born in 
West Nottingham, Pennsylvania, on the 5th De- 
cember, 1735. At the age of sixteen, he entered 
the first class in the college of Philadelphia, and at 
the first commencement held in that college, he re- 
ceived the degree of bachelor of arts. He after- 
wards commenced the study of divinity with Dr. 
Samuel Finley, and prosecuted it with such success, 
that in 1759, he was licensed to preach. 

In 1 760, he received the degree of master of arts ; 
and was soon after appointed professor of mathe- 
matics in that institution. 

In 1764, he resigned his professorship and left 
his native country for Europe, to prosecute his me- 
dical studies at the university of Edinburgh. 

After enjoying the medical lectures of that in- 
stitution for several years, he went to London, 
where he remained twelve months diligently pursu- 
ing his studies. From London he crossed over to 
Holland, and completed his medical education at 
Utrecht. After his return to this country, he com- 
menced the practice of medicine in Philadelphia, 
with great success. 

In 1769, in conjunction with several of the Ame- 
rican astronomers, he was employed in making ob- 
servations on the transit of Venus, which happen- 
ed in that year; and which were afterwards refer- 
red to with peculiar notice and approbation by the 
astronomers of Europe. 

• In 1770, he published " Observations upon the 
change of the climate of the United States." 

In consideration of these valuable papers, he was 
elected honorary member of the Holland society of 
sciences ; of the society of arts and sciences of 
Utrecht ; and as a further reward of his literary la- 
bours, the degree of doctor of laws was conferred 
upon him by the university of Leyden. 

In 1773, he was appointed, in conjunction with 
Dr. John Ewing, to make a tour through England, 



^cotiand, and Ireland, to solicit benefactions lor 
the college at Newark. 

During his stay in London, he procured the ce- 
lebrated letters of Hutchinson and Oliver, in which 
they had secretly laboured to paint, in the most 
odious colours, the character of the people of Mas- 
sachusetts. 

He lost no time in delivering them into the hands 
of Dr. Franklin, who afterwards transmitted them 
to his constituents in Boston. 

" The indignation and animosity, which were ex- 
cited on their perusal, roused the people to a great- 
er opposition to the measures of Great Britain." 

He then passed into Holland, where he heard 
the news of the declaration of independence. 

As soon as he could arrange his atfairs, he sailed 
for America, and arrived at Philadelphia in March, 
1779. 

Shortly after he settled in North-Carolina, and 
commenced the practice of physic at Edenton, and 
afterwards removed to Newborn. In 1780, he was 
appointed a surgeon in the army. 

In 1782, he took his seat as a representative in 
the house of commons of North Carolina ; from 
thence he was sent to the general congress. In 
1786, he was appointed a member to revise and 
amend the constitution of the United States. 

In 1787, he was appointed a delegate from North 
Carolina, in the general convention at Philadelphia, 
who formed and signed the federal constitution 
of the United States. 

While in congress, he enjoyed a large share of 
influence, and was appreciated for the purity of his 
intentions, and his inflexible devotedness to the in- 
terests of his country. 

In 1811, he published '' Observations on the cli- 
mate in the different parts of America, compared 
with the climate in corresponding parts of the other 
Continei\t." 



t524 - 

In 181^, he published the '• History of North Ca- 
rolina," 2 vols, octavo. 

His other writings are numerous and detached, 
and are to be found in almost all of the literary and 
scientific journals of our country. 

In 1814, he took an active part in the formation 
of the ^'literary and philosophical society of New- 
York." His intellectual faculties remained to the 
last period of his life unbroken, and in their full vi- 
gour. He died on the 22d May, 1819, in the 85th 
year of his age. 



West, Samuel, DD. an eminent divine, meta- 
physical, theological, and controversial writer, was 
born at Yarmouth, Massachusetts, March 4, 1730. 
He was graduated at Harvard college in the year 
1754, having gained a rank among the most distin- 
guished of his class. About the year 1764, he was 
ordained at New Bedford. 

His mind was very capacious and strong, his read- 
ing extensive ; his company was also solicited by 
men of literary taste from all parts of the common- 
wealth. 

He was peculiarly fond of associating with those 
who maintained the cause of rational religion, and 
christian liberty. 

In politics, he was a zealous whig. He wrote 
many forcible pieces in the newspapers, which rous- 
ed the spirit of the timid, and animated the cou- 
rageous. He deciphered the letters of Doctor 
Church, which exposed to the enemy the particular 
state of the American army. When the conven- 
tion met at Cambridge and Boston, to form a con- 
stitution for the state, he was a leader in several of 
the debate^s ; and during the whole session was a 
very important and influential member. He was 



also a member of the Massachusetts convention, 
which adopted the constitution of the United States. 
He preached the Dudleian lecture upon the validity 
of presbyterian ordination, 1782. The university 
of Cambridge presented him with a diploma of 
doctor in divinity, 1793. 

He was one of the original members of the Ame- 
rican academy of arts and sciences, and an hono- 
rary member of the philosophical society in Phila- 
delphia. 

He died at Tiverton, Rhode Island, September 
24, 1807, aged seventy-seven years. 

He was a great biblical critic ; and it has been 
well observed, that with the same advantages, he 
"^^ had fallen little short of Buxtorf, Mede, Poole, and 
Kennicott." 

Besides other publications, he published " Essays 
on liberty and necessity." To these Dr. Edwards 
replied in a volume very ably written. 



WiNTHROP, John, LL.D.F. R. S. a distinguished 
philosopher and astronomer, was graduated at Har- 
vard college, in 1732. In 1738 he succeeded Mr. 
Greenwood, asHollisprofessor of mathematics and 
nautical philosophy, and was more eminent for his 
scholarship than any other man in New-England. 
In mathematical science he was considered as the 
first, during the 40 years he continued the profes- 
sor at Cambridge university. In the year 1740, he 
made observations upon the transit. of Mercury, 
which were printed in the transactions of the royal 
society. 

In the year 1761, he sailed to St. Johns, in New- 
foundland, (as it was the most western part of the 
earth,) to observe the transit of Venus over the sun's 
disk, as it was an object with the literati, to have 



32tJ 

observations made in that place. The 6th of 
June was a fine day for observing the transit of 
the planet, and he gained high reputation when 
these observations were pubhshed. In 1769, he 
had another opportunity of observing the transit 
of Venus at Cambridge. As it was the last oppor- 
tunity that generation could be favoured with, he 
was desirous to arrest the attention of the people. 
He read two lectures upon the subject in the col- 
lege chapel, which he afterwards published, with 
this motto upon the title page : " Agite mortales ! 
et oculos in spectaculum vertite, quod hucusce 
spectaverunt perpaucissimi ; Spectaturi iterum sunt 
nulli." 

He received literary honours from other coun- 
tries beside his own. The Royal Society of Lon- 
don elected him a member ; and the university of 
Edinburgh gave him a diploma of LL. D. 

In 1767, he wrote Cogitata de cometis, which he 
dedicated to the Royal Society. This was re- 
printed in London the next year. The active ser- 
vices of Dr. Winthrop were not confined to his 
duties of professorship at Cambridge. He was a 
brilliant star in our political hemisphere. The 
family oftheWinthrops had always been distinguish- 
ed for their love of freedom and the charter rights 
of the colonies. When Great Britain made en- 
croachment upon these, by oppressive acts of par- 
liament, after the peace of Paris in 1763, he step- 
ped forth among those who boldly opposed the 
measures of the crown. After having been a pro- 
fessor for more than forty years, he died at Cam- 
bridge, May 3, 1779, in the sixty-fifth year of his 
age. Dr. Winthrop was an excellent classical 
scholar, and also a biblical critic. The learned 
Dr. Chauncey always spake of him as one of the 
greatest theologians he ever met with. In the 
variety and extent of his knowledge he has seldom 
been equalled, He was critically acquainted with 



M7 

several of the modern languages of Europe. He 
had deeply studied the policies of different ages ; 
he had read the principal fathers ; and he was 
thoroughly acquainted with the controversy be- 
tween christians and deists. His firm faith in the 
christian religion was founded upon an accurate 
examination of the evidences of its truths, and the 
virtues of his life added a lustre to his intellectual 
powers and scientific attainments. 



WiNTHROP, John, first governor of Massachu- 
setts, was born at Groton, in Suffolk, England, 
June 12, 1587, and was bred to the law. He em- 
barked for America in the forty-third year of his 
age, as the leader of those persons who settled the 
colony of Massachusetts, and with a commission 
as governor. He arrived at Salem June 12, 1630. 
He afterwards went to Shawmut, or Boston. In 
the three following years he was re-chosen gover- 
nor, for which office he was eminently qualified. 
His time, his exertions, his interest, were all devot- 
ed to the infant plantation. 

In 1637, he was again re-elected governor, which 
office he held until his death, March 26, 1649. 

Governor Winthrop was a most faithful and up- 
right magistrate and exemplary christian. In the 
course of his life he repeatedly experienced the 
versatility of the public opinion ; but when he was 
left out of oflfice, he possessed perfect calmness of 
mind, and still exerted himself to serve his coun- 
try. 

In severe trials, his magnanimity, wisdom, and 
patience, were conspicuous. 

He left a journal of events from the settlement 
of the colony to his death, which was of great ser- 
vice to Hubbard, Mather, and Prince. 

It was published in 1790, in one volume Svo. 



628 

WiTHERSPOON, JoHN,DD. LL. D. one of the sign- 
ers of the declaration of independence, and presi= 
dent of Princeton college, was born in Yester, near 
Edinburgh, Scotland, February 5, 1722, and was 
lineally descended from John Knox. At the age 
of fourteen, he entered the university of Edinburgh, 
where he continued attending the different profes- 
sors with a great degree of celebrity, in all the 
branches of learning, until the age of twenty-one, 
when he was licensed to preach the gospel. When 
a student at the Divinity Hall, his character stood 
remarkably high for his taste in sacred criticism, 
and for a precision in thinking, rarely attained at 
so early a period. He was soon ordained atBeith, 
in the west of Scotland. Thence, after a few years, 
he was translated to Paisley. Here he lived in 
high reputation and great usefulness, until, he was 
called to the presidency of Princeton college. He 
arrived with his family at Princeton, New-Jersey, 
August, 1768, and took the charge of that seminary, 
over which had presided a Dickinson, Burr, Ed- 
wards, Davies, and Finley, men distinguished for 
genius, learning, and piety. His name brought a 
great accession of students to the college, and by 
his exertions its funds were much augmented. Dr. 
Witherspoon continued directing the institution of 
which he was president, with increasing success, 
till the commencement of the American revolution ; 
which event suspended his functions, and dispers- 
ed the college. As he became an American on 
his landing in this country, the citizens of New- 
Jersey, who knew his distinguished abilities, ap- 
pointed him a member of the convention which 
formed the constitution of that state. Here he 
shone with his usual lustre ; eminent as a profound 
civilian, as he had before been known to be a 
philosopher and divine. From the revolutionary 
committees and conventions of the state, he was 
sent early in 1776 a representative to the congress? 
of tKe United J^tates. 



329 

He was seven years a member of that illustrious 
body, which, in the face of immemorable difficul- 
ties and dangers secured to their fellow citizens 
liberty and independence. 

Dr.Witherspoon was always firm amidst the most 
gloomy and formidable aspects of public affairs, 
and always discovered the greatest presence of 
mind in the most embarrassing situations. It is 
impossible here to enter into all his political ideas. 
It is but justice, however, to observe, that on al- 
most all subjects on which he diftered from the 
majority of his brethren in congress, his principles 
have been justified by the result. 

It is sufficient to select only a few examples. 
He constantly opposed the expensive mode of 
supplying the army by commission, which he after- 
wards prevailed upon to have done by contract. 
He opposed, at every emission, after the first or 
second, that paper-currency which gave such a 
wound to public credit, and which would have 
defeated the revolution, if any thing could ; and 
even hazarded his popularity for a time, by the 
strenuousness of his opposition. In the informa- 
tion of the general confederation, he complained 
of the jealousy and ambition of the individual 
states, which were not willing to intrust the ge- 
neral government with adequate powers for the 
common interest. He then pronounced inefficacy 
upon it : but he complained and remonstrated in 
vain. Overruled, however, at that time, in these 
and other objects of importance, he had the satis- 
faction of living to see America revert, in almost 
every instance, to his original ideas ; ideas founded 
on a sound and penetrating judgment, and matur- 
ed by deep reflection, and an extensive observa- 
tion of men and things. He affixed his name to 
that immortal instrument, the declaration of inde- 
pendence. 

But while he was thus engaged in serving his 
country as a civilian, he did not lay aside his 

42 



character as a minister. He gladly embraced every 
opportunity of preaching ; for his character as a 
minister of the gospel he ever considered as his 
highest honour. As soon as the state of the coun- 
try would permit, the college was re-established, 
and its instruction was recommenced under the 
immediate care of the vice-president, the Rev. Dr. 
S. S. Smith. After the termination of the struggle 
for American liberty, Dr.Witherspoon was induced 
from his attachment to the college to cross the 
ocean, that he might promote its benefit. Though 
his success was not so great as could be wished, 
his enterprise and zeal were not the less deserving 
of commendation. After his return, he entered 
into that retirement which was dear to him, and 
his attention was principally confined to the duties 
of his office as president, and as a minister of the 
gospel. For more than two years before his death 
he was afliicted with the loss of sight, which he 
bore with exemplary patience and cheerfulness. 
At length he sunk under the pressure of his in- 
firmities, and died November 15, 1794, in the se- 
venty-third year of his age. He was succeeded by 
that celebrated philosopher and divine, the Rev. Dr. 
S. S. Smith. 

As president of the college, Dr. Witherspoon 
rendered literary inquiries more liberal, extensive, 
and profound, and was the means of producing an 
important revolution in the system of education. 
He extended the study of mathematical science, 
and it is believed he was the first man who taught 
in America the substance of those doctrines of the 
philosophy of the mind, which Dr. Reid afterwards 
developed with so mucli success. As a preacher, 
his character sLood remarkably high. In this de- 
partment, he was in many respects one of the best 
models on which a young pulpit orator could form 
himself. An admirable textuary ; a profound theo- 
logian ; an universal scholar; he was deeply versed 
in human nature ; he was perspicuous* simple, a 



331 

grave, dignified, and solemn speaker, and irresist- 
ible in his manners ; and he brought all'the advan- 
tages derived from these sources, to the illustra- 
tion and enforcement of divine truth. 

As a writer he holds a high rank. His know- 
ledge of every subject he handles is extensive and 
accurate, his thoughts weighty and condensed, his 
style simple, and his method very lucid. He ex- 
hibits great acquaintance with the world, and with 
the human heart. His works are various, for he 
wrote on political, moral, literary, and religious 
subjects. 

They were published in 1802, in four volumes 
^vo. 



WisTAR, Caspar, M. D. a learned physician and 
celebrated anatomist, was born in Philadelphia, 
September 13, 1761. 

On receiving a classical education, he applied 
himself to the study of medicine under Dr. John 
Redman, president of the college of physicians, 
with whom he remained three years. In the mean 
time he attended the lectures of Drs. Shippen, 
Morgan, Kuhn, and Rush. 

Instead of entering immediately into the prac- 
tice of medicine, he left America in the year 1783, 
to avail himself of the advantages to be found in 
the schools of London and Edinburgh, at that time 
the first in the world. 

Having remained a year in England, he repaired 
to Edinburgh, where he passed his time in attend- 
ing lectures and cultivating the friendship of dis- 
tinguished persons. 

In 1785, he made a journey on foot through 
parts of the highlands of Scotland, and visited 
Glasgow, Inverary, and Inverness. He particular- 
ly enjoyed the esteem and friendship of the great 



3S3 

Cullen. For two successive years he was elected 
one of the presidents of the Royal Medical Society 
of Edinburgh. He was also elected president of 
the society for the investigation of natural history. 
These honours, conferred by a great, a learned, 
and proud nation, on a )^outh, whose country had 
but just risen into existence, are the surest testi- 
mony of uncommon merit. 

In June, 1786, he graduated at Edinburgh, and 
published on this occasion his thesis " de animo 
demisso :^'' dedicated to Drs. Franklin and Cullen. 

Toward the end of the year 1786, he took leave 
of Edinburgh, on his return to America. His fame 
flew before him to his native city, where he arrived 
in January 1787, after an absence of more than 
three years. 

With talents matured, his mind enriched with the 
fruits of study and experience, he now engaged in 
the practice of medicine with every advantage. 
Being eminent, both in medicine and surgery, his 
practice soon became very extensive. 

In the same year he was elected a member of 
the college of physicians, and of the American Phi- 
losophical Society. 

In 1789, he was appointed professor of chymis- 
try, and in 1792 adjunct-professor of anatomy and 
surgery with the late Dr. Shippen, one of the fa- 
thers of the medical school of Philadelphia. 

On the death of Dr. Shippen, in 1808, he was 
elected as sole professor in the anatomical chair. 

It was here that the scene of his greatest excel- 
lence was exhibited. In many departments of 
science, he was conspicuous, but here pre-eminent. 

In his language he was fluent, and in the com- 
munications of his ideas he had a facility never at- 
tained but by great masters. 

He was the first who observed and described 
the posterior portion of the ethmoid bone in its 
most perfect state, viz. with the triangular bones 
attached to it. 



355 

In 1815, he was elected aii honorary member of 
the literary and philosophical society of New- York, 
and the same honour was conferred on him by 
other literary institutions. In the same year, on 
the resignation of Mr. Jefferson, he was unani 
mously elected president of the American Philo- 
sophical Society. He died January 22, 1818. 

His understandino^ was rather strong than bril- 
liant. Truth was its object. His mind was pa- 
tient of labour, curious in research, clear, although 
not rapid in perception, and sure in judgment. His 
information was remarkably accurate, and possess- 
ed a memory extremely tenacious. 

As an anatomist he was not equalled in the 
United States, nor excelled in any country. 

As an author, he published a " System of Ana- 
tomy," two volumes 8vo. 1814: besides anonymous 
essays, and others which had his signature, are 
printed in the transactions of the college of phy- 
sicians, and in the transactions of the American 
Philosophical Society. 



Wilkinson, James, a major-general in the army 
of the United States, was born in Calvert county, 
Maryland, about the year 1757. »> 

He was educated under the care of a private tu- 
tor, a graduate of the university of Glasgow, and at 
the age of seventeen commenced the study of me- 
dicine. 

At the commencement of the revolutionary war, 
his military spirit burst its fetters. Anxious to be 
numbered with the defenders of his country, and 
repel foreign invasion, he repaired to head-quarters 
at Cambridge, and on his arrival received from the 
commander-in-chief, a captain's commission. 

In 1777, he was appointed a major, and shortly 
afterwards participated in the victory and capture 



334 

of Burgoyne and his army. In the battles of Tren- 
ton, Princeton, and Br^mdywine, for his gallantry 
and good conduct he was promoted by congress to 
the rank of brigadier-general. 

President Washington afterwards appointed him 
to the command of the posts on the Missisippi. 

During the late war with Great Britain, after 
taking possession of the country west of the Per- 
dido, and capturing the post at Mobile, he was 
transferred to the command of the northern army, 
with the rank of major-general. After several un- 
successful attempts to take possession of Canada, 
he was obliged to retire from actual service on ac- 
count of the pressing infirmities of age. 

He has published, " Memoirs of his own times," 
in three volumes 8vo. 



Wythe, George, chancellor of Virginia, and one 
of the signers of the declaration of independence, 
was born in the year 1726, in the county of Eliza- 
beth City, Virginia. His mother, a woman of great 
acquirements, superintended his education, and 
taught him the Latin and Greek languages. To 
grammar, rhetoric, and logic, he added by his own 
exertions, at an early age, an extensive acquaint- 
ance with civil law ; a .profound knowledge of 
mathematics, as well of natural and moral philoso- 
phy. Of these various attainments, so honourable 
to his industry and genius, much of the merit, no 
doubt very justly, is ascribed to the affectionate 
and tender zeal of his mother. Of this excellent 
parent, he was bereaved during his minority. And 
in a short time after, he lost his amiable father. 
Being thus in the possession of money, like many 
unthinking youths, he commenced a career of dis- 
sipation and intemperance, and did not disengage 
himself from it before he had reached the age of 
thirty. He then bitterly lamented the loss of those 



365 

liine years of his life, and of the learning which, 
during that period, he might have acquired. But 
never did any man more effectually redeem his 
time. From the moment, when he resolved on 
reformation, he devoted himself most intensely to 
his studies. 

He commenced the study of the law in the office 
of the late John Lewis, Esq. and at an early period 
was licensed to practise in the courts of Virginia. 
He took his station at the bar of the old general 
court, with many other great men whose merit has 
been the boast of Virginia. For a short time he con- 
tirmed their equal ; but by reason of his extensive 
learning, correctness of elocution, and his logical 
style of argument, he quickly arrived at the head of 
the bar. 

When the time arrived, which heaven had des- 
tined for the separation of the wide, confederated 
republic of America from the dominion of Great 
Britain, he was one of the instruments in the hand 
of Providence for accomplishing that great work. 
He took a decided part in the very first move- 
ments of opposition, and urged his fellow citizens 
to open resistance. With a prophetic mind he 
looked forward to the event of an approaching 
war, and resolutely prepared to encounter all its 
evils rather than to resign his attachment to liber- 
ty. As the controversy grew warm, his zeal be- 
came proportionally fervent. He joined a corps 
of volunteers, accustomed himself to military dis- 
cipline, and was ready to march at the call of his 
country. But that country to whose interests he 
was so sincerely attached, had other duties of more 
importance for him to perform. It was his destiny to 
obtain distinction as a statesman, legislator, and 
judge, and not as a warrior. Before the war com- 
menced, he was elected a member of the Virginia 
assembly. After having been for some time speaker 
of that enlightened and patriotic body, and render- 
ing himself conspicuous as the vindicator of the 



m6 

rights "and privileges of his injured countrymen, 
he was sent by the members of that body, as one 
of their delegates to the congress which met at 
Philadelphia in May, 1775, and did not separate 
until it had declared the independence of America. 
In that august assembly, he possessed no small 
share of influence. He was one of those who 
signed the memorable declaration, by which the 
heroic legislators of this country pledged "their 
lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honours," to 
maintain and defend its violated rights. 

In November following, by a resolution of the 
general assembly of Virginia, he was appointed 
one of the committee to revise the laws of the com- 
monwealth, and to prepare bills for re-enacting 
them, with such alterations as the change in the 
form and principles of the government, and other 
circumstances, required of this extensive work of 
legislation. Wythe executed the revision of those 
laws which had been enacted during the period 
commencing with the revolution in England, and 
ending with the establishment of the new govern- 
ment here, except the acts for regulating descents ; 
for religious freedom ; and for proportioning crimes 
and punishments ; which were part of the labours 
of Mr. Jefferson. 

After finishing the task of new modelling the 
laws, he was employed to carry them into effect 
according to their true intent and spirit, and was 
appointed one of the three judges of the high court 
of chancery of Virginia: but on a subsequent 
change in the organization of the court of equity, 
he was constituted sole chancellor : which high 
station he filled with the strictest integrity for more 
than twenty years. Whilst in this office, he pub- 
lished a collection of chancery reports, which by 
legal characters are held high in estimation. 

In 1786, he was appointed a delegate to meet 
the grand convention at Philadelphia to revise the 
federal constitution. His country never losing 



^i37 

sight of his distinguished patriotism and abilities, 
Avhen occasion required his services, we again 
find him a conspicuous member of the great public 
body which assembled at Richmond in 1788, to 
take into view the adoption or rejection of the late- 
ly framed constitution of the United States. Dur- 
ing the debates on this occasion, he acted for the 
most part as chairman. Amidst all his public ser- 
vices, throughout all his private life, the devotion 
of Wythe to his country, his scrupulous discharge 
of the duties of his office, and his universal bene- 
volence of disposition, were eminently apparent. 
Some of the greatest luminaries at the bar, and in 
the senate, that Virginia has produced, were in- 
structed in science, and led up the steep of fame 
by George Wythe. In the list of his pupils we 
may enumerate two presidents of the United States, 
a chief justice, and others who by their abilities and 
virtues are entitled to the most distinguished ho- 
nours of their country. He presided twice suc- 
cessively in the presidential electoral college of 
Virginia, with great distinction and applause. His 
political opinions were always firmly republican. 
He died, after a short but very excruciating sick- 
ness, on the 8th June, 1806, in the eighty-first year 
of his age. 

President Jefterson, who was the friend of his 
age, and his compatriot through life, thus draws 
the portrait of this extraordinary man : " No man 
ever left behind him a character more venerated 
than George Wythe. His virtue was of the purest 
kind; his integrity inflexible, and his justice exact : 
of warm patriotism, and devoted as he was to li- 
berty, and the natural and equal rights of men, 
he might be truly called the Cato of his country, 
without the avarice of the Roman ; for a more dis- 
interested person never lived. Temperance and 
regularity in all his habits, gave him general good 
health, and his unaffected modesty and suavity of 
manners endeared him to every one. He was of 

43 



338 

easy elocution, his language chaste, methodical in 
the arrangement of his matter, learned and logical 
in the use of it, and of great urbanity in debate. 
Not quick of apprehension, but with a little time, 
profound in penetration, and sound in conclusion. 

His stature was of the middle size, well formed 
and proportioned, and the features of his face 
manly, comely, and engaging. Such was George 
Wythe, the honour of his own, and model of future 
times." 

By his last will and testament he bequeathed 
his valuable library and philosophical apparatus ta 
his friend Mr. Jefferson, and distributed the re- 
mainder of his property among the grandchildren 
of his sister, and the slaves whom he had set free. 
He thus wished to liberate the blacks not only 
from slavery, but from temptations to vice. He 
even condescended to impart to them instruction ; 
and he personally taught the Greek language to a 
little negro boy, who died a few days before his 
preceptor. 



Washington, George, first president of the 
United States, and a distinguished patriot, hero, 
and statesman, was born at the seat of his ances- 
tors, in Westmoreland county, Virginia, February 
22, 1732. He was educated under the care of a 
private tutor, and after making rapid progress in 
the languages, mathematics, and engineering, he 
embraced the military profession. His abilities 
were first employed by governor Dinwiddie, in 
1754, in making remonstrances to the French com- 
mander on the Ohio, for the infraction of the trea- 
ty between the two nations, and he afterwards ne- 
gotiated a treaty of amity with the Indians, on the 
back settlements; and for his honourable services 
received the thanks of the British government. 
In the unfortunate expedition of general Braddock. 



•3r>9 

he served as his aid-de-canip, and when that brave 
but rash commander fell in an ambush, he dis- 
played great military talents in conducting the re- 
treat to the corps under colonel Dunbar, and in the 
saving the remains of the army, from a dangerous 
and untenable position. 

During the remainder of the war between Eng- 
land and France, which in their American colo- 
nies, raged with a spirit of exterminating fury, 
he was looked up to as the source and director of 
all military operations, whether intended for an- 
noyance or protection. 

After the termination of the French war he re- 
tired to his valuable estate on the banks of the 
Potomac, to which he had succeeded by the death 
of his brother. But while engaged at his favourite 
seat of Mount Vernon, in the peaceful employments 
of an agriculturist, he also served as a member 
of the house of burgesses of Virginia, till he was 
called again into the service of his country, by the 
proceedings preparatory to the American revolution. 

In 1774, he was one of the seven distinguished 
citizens, mIio represented Virginia m the first con- 
gress that met at Philadelphia, and was placed on 
all those committees, whose duty it was to make 
arrangements for defence. In the following year 
a defensive war against the oppressive usurpations 
of Great Britain having been agreed on by that 
august and enlightened body, he was unanimous- 
ly appointed commander-in-chief of the armies of 
America. This high trust he accepted with diffi- 
dence, and expressed his intention of receiving no 
compensation for his services, and only a mere dis- 
charge of his expenses. Among the friends of 
liberty his appointment was productive of confi- 
dence and hope, satisfaction, and joy. 

He immediately repaired to Cambridge, Massa- 
chusetts, and formed the army into three divisions. 
Here he had to struggle with great difficulties, the 
want of arms, ammunition, clothing, and the defect 



of discipline; but instead of yielding to despon- 
dence, he bent the whole force of his mind to over- 
come them. 

As soon as he could rely upon his troops, he be- 
came anxious for an opportunity to meet the enemy. 
In February, 1776, he proposed to a council of 
his officers to attack the enemy in Boston, but they 
unanimously disapproved of the daring measure. 
It was, however, resolved to take possession of the 
heights of Dorchester, which was accordingly 
done ; and by this masterly movement, the enemy 
found it necessary to evacuate the town. 

The seat of war was afterwards removed to 
New-York and New-Jersey, where the British had 
brought to operate the whole of their disposable 
force, which was computed at .55,000 men, while 
that of the Americans did not exceed 27,000, of 
these a large proportion was militia. On the 27th 
of August, in the memorable battle of Long-Island, 
the Americans experienced an entire defeat. In 
this affair general Sullivan commanded in person, 
while he was only a spectator of the scene. He 
however assumed, in the following night, the im- 
mediate superintendence of the evacuation of 
Long-Island, in the execution of which, he effected 
one of the most renowned retreats that is any 
where recorded in military annals. 

Forced from his position in New-York, he re- 
treated to the White Plains, where on the 28tli 
October, a considerable action took place, in which 
the Americans were overpowered. After the loss 
of forts Washington and Lee, he passed into New- 
Jersey in November, where he was pursued by a 
triumphant and numerous, enemy. Here, his diffi- 
culties and embarrassments, dangers and suffer- 
ings, were inconceivably great. His army was 
■ daily diminished by sickness, desertions, and other 
misfortunes incidental to war. The few that re- 
mained faithful to his standard, did not amount to 
3000 men. When winter commenced they were 



341 

bare footed and almost naked, and destitute of 
every comfort; and every circumstance tended to 
fill the minds of the votaries of freedom with des- 
pondence. But his mind, great at all times, but 
greatest in adversity, rose above every obstacle, 
and did not despair of the success of his cause. 
Inflexible in his determination to save his country, 
or perish in the conflict, he infused into his fol- 
lowers the same resolution. It was hence, under 
Providence, that the arms of America were render- 
ed invincible. In this critical situation, he was 
only separated from the enemy by the river Dela- 
ware. Anxious to remove the depression which 
hung like a mildew on the public mind, he resolv- 
ed to cross the Delaware, and become the assail- 
ant. Accordingly on the night of the 25th Decem- 
ber, he crossed the river nine miles above Trenton, 
in a storm of hail mingled with rain, with about 
2400 men. In the morning, about 8 o'clock, he 
surprised Trenton, and took 1000 Hessians pri- 
soners, with about 1000 stand of arms, and six 
field pieces. The loss of the Americans were two 
privates killed and two frozen to death. On the 
same day he re-crossed the Delaware with the 
fruits of his enterprise. In a day or two he passed 
again into New-Jersey, and concentrated his forces 
at Trenton. Lord Cornwallis on hearing of this 
disaster, marched immediately with all his forces, 
bent on retrieving this misfortune. Having, on the 
evening of the 2d of January, 1777, taken a posi- 
tion, which in his opinion, placed the American 
army completely in his power, he encamped for the 
night, confident of making a successful attack in 
the morning. At this critical moment, when it 
was hazardous if not impracticable to retreat into 
Pennsylvania, he left his encampment in the night, 
and moved ofl" to the left of the enemy, and early 
in the morning, attacked and overthrew, a strong 
detachment of the enemy, that was stationed at 
Princeton. The loss of the British on this occa- 



342 

sion in killed, wounded, and prisoners, amounted 
to upwards of 600. During this march many of 
his soldiers were without shoes, and their feet left 
the marks of blood upon the frozen ground. Corn- 
wallis in the morning broke up his camp, and 
alarmed for his stores at Brunswick, pushed on the 
pursuit. Thus the military genius of general 
Washington, under the blessing of Divine Provi- 
dence, rescued Philadelphia from the threatened 
danger, obliged the enemy, which had overspread 
New-Jersey, to return to New- York, and revived 
the desponding spirit of his country. No sooner 
had the news of these successful operations reach- 
ed the court of Versailles, than France became the 
ally of the United States. 

After sundry instances of generalship and mili- 
tary address in the state of New-Jersey, in which 
he manifested a decided ascendency over the Bri- 
tish commander, he, in compliance with the di- 
rections of congress, and the wishes of the public, 
rather than from the dictates of his own judgment, 
engaged the enemy in the celebrated battle at Bran- 
dywine, September 9, 1777, and suffered a defeat. 
Cornwallis, soon after took possession of Philadel- 
phia, and posted a strong division of his army at 
Germantown. This division, general Washington 
determined to attack, a measure which he effected 
on the morning of the 4th October. The affair 
was planned with great wisdom, and promised, at 
first, a glorious issue, but from unforseen causes, 
the enterprise failed. 

Towards the close of December, he retired into 
winter-quarters at Valley Forge. Here, the forti- 
tude and patience of his soldiers experienced a 
trial almost too severe for human nature to endure. 
For a time they were unfed, unclothed, and without 
a shelter from the inclemency of the weather. — 
Nothing but the personal influence of their much- 
loved commander, could have retained them in ser- 
vice. The mere principles of military compact 



343 

would have been insufficient for the purpose. But 
the dissolution of the army at this period would 
have been the loss of freedom. 

In the mean time, he, in his personal and official 
character, sustained the utmost injustice and wrong. 
Moved by envy, or something worse, a faction of 
malcontents was formed to remove him from com- 
mand, and to appoint in his place general Gates, 
whose successes of late had given him a high re- 
putation. But his name was too dear to the great 
body of Americans to admit of such a change, and 
the meditated mischief recoiled on themselves. 
The British army having abandoned Philadelphia 
on the 17th and 18th of June, 1778, he pursued 
them, annoying them in their march through the 
state of New-Jersey. 

On the 28th of June, he met the enemy on the 
plains of Monmouth, and after a hard fought battle, 
he obliged them to retire from the field. General 
Washington slept in his cloak on the field of battle, 
intending to renew the attack next morning; but at 
midnight the British troops marched off in such 
silence, as not to be discovered. The loss of the 
British was 300, while that of the Americans was 
69. Thus after the vicissitudes of two years war, 
both armies were brought back to the point from 
which they set out. 

In the two succeeding campaigns, it did not fall 
to the lot of the commander-in-chief to be person- 
ally concerned in any very distinguished military 
events. But his active and capacious mind had 
full employment in the public service ; in the 
council chamber of the nation as well as in the 
field. In January, 1780, a winter memorable for 
its severity, his utmost exertions were necessary 
to save the army from dissolution. The soldiers in 
general submitted with heroic patience to the want 
of provisions and clothes. Their sufferings at 
length were so great, that two regiments actually 



344 

mutinied, but by his exertions it was timely sup* 
pressed, and the ringleaders secured. 

In September, 1780, the treachery of Arnold 
was detected. 

In September, 1781, lord Cornwallis having pe- 
netrated from the south, with an army of 10,000 
strong, took possession of Yorktown, in Virginia. 

In the meantime, general Washington, at the 
head of the combined force of French and Ameri- 
cans, marching from Williamsburgh, proceeded to 
invest the enemy's position. The siege com- 
menced on the 28th September, and continued un- 
til the 19th of October, when the British force was 
compelled to surrender themselves prisoners of 
war. This event filled America with joy, and was 
the means of terminating the glorious contest. 
On the 19th April, 1782, a cessation of hostilities 
took place. 

In March, 1783, he exhibited his characteristic 
firmness jn opposing an attempt to produce a mu- 
tiny by anonymous letters. His address to his 
officers on the occasion displays, in a remarkable 
degree, his prudence and the correctness of his 
judgment, and was the happy means of repressing 
the spirit which was breaking forth. In June, he 
addressed a letter to the governors of the several 
states, congratulating them on the result of the 
contest in the establishment of independence, and 
recommending an indissoluble union of the states 
under one federal head, a sacred regard to public 
justice, the adoption of a proper peace establish- 
ment, and the prevalence of a friendly disposition 
among the people of the several states. After the 
evacuation of New-York, he entered it, accompa- 
nied by governor Clinton and many respectable 
citizens. 

On the 4tli of December, after having taken a 
most solemn and affecting leave of his companions 
in arms, he proceeded to Annapolis, when congress 
was in session. Here with no less solemnity, and 



345 

in a manner equally aftecting, he took leave also 
of them, after surrendering into the hands of their 
president his commission which he had borne dur- 
ing eight years of solicitude and peril, exertion, and 
glory. He then retired to Mount Vernon, to enjoy 
again the pleasures of domestic life. 

In 1786, he was convinced, with other states- 
men, of the necessity of substituting a more vigor- 
ous government, and was, in 1787, again called 
from domestic retirement, to take a seat in the con- 
vention, w^hich formed the present constitution, and 
over which, by the unanimous voice of his col- 
leagues, he was appointed to preside. 

On the adoption of the constitution, he was una- 
nimously elected president of the United States. 

His elevation to this office was productive, at 
once, of universal joy and reviving hope. On his 
journey to the seat of government, he was every 
where saluted with honours and distinctions worthy 
of the father and protector of his country. On his 
arrival at New-York, he was inducted into office on 
the 30th April, 1789, and at once entered upon the 
arduous and exalted duties which it imposed. Of 
the w^isdom and ability with which these duties 
were discharged, the happy and glorious result of 
his administration can best testify. For the libe- 
rality of its views, soundness of its principles, the 
correctness of its details, and the dignified gran- 
deur and firmness of its march, it was achefd'oeu- 
vre of human achievement. 

On the expiration of his second term of office, 
he, although perfectly assured of success, declined 
a third election to the presidency, and withdrew to 
the shades of private life, with an increase of reso- 
lution to abandon them no more. 

In September, 1796, he published his farewell 
address to the people of the United States. A 
public document of the richest value, and will be 
handed down to the latest posterity with the im- 
mortal declaration of independence. 

44 



34(3 

This great and good man expired December 14, 
1799. This melancholy event, which was in a 
short time announced in every section of the coun- 
try, produced a shock more severe and extensive 
than had ever, perhaps, been experienced from the 
death of a mortal. 

From one end of the continent to the other, the 
most exalted honours were paid to his memory. 
Nor were the tributes on this occasion confined to 
America. Some of the ablest pens and most elo- 
quent tongues in Europe were exerted in portray- 
ing the virtues and services of the deceased. 

In stature he was upwards of six feet; in his 
form muscular and well proportioned, exhibiting 
the appearance of unusual strength; and in all'his 
movements easy and graceful. The lineaments of 
his face were rather on the Grecian than the Ro- 
man model. 

His appearance was strongly indicative of his 
character. It exhibited the most striking repre- 
sentation of greatness and majesty, that have ever 
been seen attached to the person of a mortal. No 
one could approach him without experiencing this 
sentiment, and feeling that he was in the presence 
of the greatest of men. 

Considered as a compound of whatever is most 
estimable and magnificent in man, he is without 
a parallel in history or tradition. In no other in- 
dividual, ancient or modern, has such transcendent 
greatness been found associated with such exalted 
virtue. Perfection does not belong to humanity : 
but the nearest approach to it that mortal has at- 
tained, is believed to have been in him. A pa- 
triot without a blemish ; a statesman without guile ; 
a leader of armies without ambition ; a magistrate 
without severity, yet inflexible in uprightness; a 
citizen exemplary in the discharge of every duty, 
a man in whose character weakness and faults ap- 
peared but as specks on the brightness of the sun ; 
who had religion without austerity, dignity with- 



M7 

out pride; modesty without diffidence; courage 
without rashness ; politeness without affectation; 
affability without familiarity. Such was the founder 
of American liberty and independence. 

His writings are expressed in a style of dignified 
simplicity. The following have been published ; 
*' Official Letters to the American Congress, writ- 
ten during the War," 2 volumes 8vo. 1795. "Let- 
ters to Arthur Young and Sir John Sinclair, on 
Agriculture, and the Rural Economy of the United 
States," 2 volumes 8vo. " Farewell Address to 
the people of the United States." 



West, Benjamin, a celebrated histr^rical painter, 
was born near Springfield, Chester county, Penn- 
sylvania, in the year 1735. At an early age, he 
evinced an attachment for drawing, and displayed 
an uncommon precocity of talent in that art. His 
designs were beheld with wonder by his parents 
and friends, from whom he received every encou- 
ragement. 

At the age ofsixteen, he settled in Philadelphia, 
where he acquired ne,/ facilities in the progress of 
his favourite art. Here he also received employ- 
ment as a portrait painter. His success at histori- 
cal painting was so flattering, that after passing 
nearly a year in New- York, where he painted the 
"Student reading by candle-light," he determined 
to visit the classical shores of Italy. He accord- 
ingly embarked, in 1760, on board of a vessel des- 
tined for Leghorn ; after which, he immediately 
proceeded to Rome, and entered on the 10th July, 
1760. He was immediately introduced to cardinal 
Albani, and Mengs. At the recommendation of 
Mengs, he visited Florence, Bologna, and Venice, 
and studied the most eminent masters of anti- 
quity. 



348 

On his return to Rome, animated by a noble 
spirit of emulation, he determined to rival his fel- 
low students by painting two pictures, one of " Cy- 
men and Iphigenia," and another of "Angelica 
and Medora," when he resolved to return to Ame- 
rica. At Parma, by express invitation of the prince, 
he was presented at court. 

He now passed through Savoy into France, on 
his return home, and resided some time at Paris. 
He at length arrived in England, on the 20th Au- 
gust, 176^; and after due consideration he deter- 
mined to settle in London. 

He was introduced by Dr. Markham, archbishop 
of York, to Dr. Johnson and Mr. Burke. 

In 176.5, he painted "the Parting of Hector and 
Andromache," for the bishop of Bristol ; and "the 
Return of i^he Prodigal Son," for the bishop of 
Worcester. 

Dr. Drummond, archbishop of York, now be- 
came one of his most zealous patrons, and for 
whom, he painted "Agrippina landing with the 
ashes of Germanicus." On finishing this picture, 
he was introduced by the archbishop to the king, 
and afterwards to the queen. 

On seeing this picture, the king, as a mark of 
his approbation proposed to him, " the final depar- 
ture of Regulus from Rome." 

With all possible haste, he produced a sketch, 
which pleased his majesty greatly, and from this 
moment, he exhibited a partiality for him, which 
continued uninterrupted during the long term of 
forty years. 

He was frequently invited to spend tlie evening 
at Buckingham house, and it was with him, in the 
conversation with his majesty, that the plan of the 
royal academy was first canvassed and digested. 

Mr. West continued to receive the patronage of 
his royal highness, and for whom he painted " Ha- 
milcar, making his son swear implacable enmity 
against the Romans." "The death of Wolfe;" 



349 

" The death of Epaminondas ;" and " The death of 
Chevalier Bayard." 

He was also employed to paint thirty-five pic- 
tures, illustrative to the history of revealed reli- 
gion, which were to be placed in his majesty's pri- 
vate chapel at Windsor castle. 

On the death of Sir Joshua Reynolds, in 1791, 
he was unanimously elected president of the royal 
academy. 

After the peace of Amiens he visited Paris, for 
the express purpose of contemplating the noble 
series of statues and pictures contained in the 
splendid galleries of the Louvre. He received 
on this occasion a distinguished reception not 
only from the French artists, but the French go- 
vernment. 

The honours paid to him in France, appear to 
have given umbrage in England, and he partially 
lost the royal patronage for a time. He, however, 
appealed to the public ; and the appeal was not 
in vain. The several large pictures painted by 
him, on his return, were exhibited with great eclat, 
and proved highly productive. The British insti- 
tution presented him with 3000 guineas, for the ce- 
lebrated composition of "Christ healing the Sick," 
while a copy, which he presented to the hospital of 
Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia, actually enabled the 
committee of that institution, to enlarge the build- 
ing for the reception of no less than fifty additional 
patients. 

The death of Mrs. West on the 10th December, 
1817, proved a melancholy event in his life, by has- 
tening his own. Accordingly on the 10th March, 
1820, this great painter expired, without a struggle. 
His body was afterwards transferred to one of the 
saloons of the royal academy, and interred with 
great funeral pomp, in St. Paul's cathedral. 

In his deportment Mr. West was mild and consi- 
derate : his eye was keen, and his mind apt; but he 
was slow and methodical in his reflection. 



350 

As an artist, he will stand in the first rank. His 
name will be classed with those of Michael Ange- 
lo and Raphael. His powers of conception were 
of a superior cast — equal in their excellence to 
Michael Angelo's energy, or Raphael's grandeur ; 
and, in the inferior departments of drawing and 
colouring, he was one the greatest artists of his 

He received from his majesty for pictures on va- 
rious subjects, historical and religious subjects, 
and family portraits, £34,187 sterling. The whole 
number of the works of his pencil amount to near- 
ly one thousand. 



Walton, George, one of the signers of the de- 
claration of independence, was born in Frederick 
county, Virginia, about the year 1740. At an early 
period, he removed to Georgia, where he prosecut- 
ed the study of the law, under the superintendence 
of H. Young, Esq. Having completed his studies, 
he embarked in the practice of his profession in 
the year 1774. The progress of the revolution in 
the other colonies, soon rendered it necessary that 
Georgia should take a decided part either in favour 
of, or in opposition to the royal government. At 
this critical period, the cause of liberty proved tri- 
umphant, and a council of safety was appointed. 

In consideration of his zeal and patriotism he 
was elected by the legislature of Georgia, a dele- 
gate to the general congress, on the 20th February, 
1776. On the 4th July, he was one of those worthy 
patriots, who pledged "their lives, their fortunes, 
and their sacred honours,'' in support of the liber- 
ties of the people in that solemn declaration, which 
for ever separated the colonies from Great Britain. 

He was successively re-elected to the congress 
of 1777,78, '79, '80, and '81 ; in this latter year, he 



351 

finally retired from the great national council, in 
whose proceedings he had so long and ably as- 
sisted. 

As an evidence of the public confidence in his 
talents and usefulness, he was six times elected a 
representative to congress ; twice, a governor of 
the state ; once a senator of the United States ; 
and four times judge of the superior courts. The 
latter ofiice he held until the day of his death. 

He closed his useful and laborious life on the 
2d of February, 1804, leaving in the memory of his 
actions and his accomplishments, a lasting monu- 
ment of his worth, and a rich legacy to his country. 



Williams, William, one of the signers of the 
declaration of independence, was born in the town 
of Lebanon, Connecticut, on the 8th April, 1731. 

At the age of sixteen, he entered Harvard col- 
lege, and was graduated in 1751. 

In 1756, he commenced his political career, as 
the town clerk of Lebanon, to which station he was 
annually elected during the long period of forty- 
five years. He was chosen about the same time to 
jepresent the town in the general assembly of Con- 
necticut, and for many years acted as speaker of 
the house of representatives. During the greater 
part of the revolution, he was a member of the 
council of safety, whose sessions were daily and 
unremitting. 

In 1780, he was elected counsellor, and was an- 
nually re-elected for twenty-four years. He was 
seldom absent from his seat in the legislature for 
more than ninety sessions, except when he was a 
delegate to the general congress. 

In fact, he expended his whole life in the ser- 
vice of the public, and in promoting the prosperity 
of his country. 



352 

He was appointed a delegate to represent the 
state of Connecticut in the general congress of 
1776. He was therefore present and assisted in 
the deliberations of that august assembly, when 
the great charter of our independence was submit- 
ted to its considerations. He now embarked en- 
thut^iastically in the cause of the colonies, and by his 
writings and eloquence, he aroused the feelings of 
his fellow citizens to resist the arbitrary measures 
of Great Britain, and to maintain their rights. He 
was a member of the state convention which adopt- 
ed the present constitution. Mr. Williams con- 
tinued to render distinguished services to his coun- 
try, till the day of his death, which took place on 
the 2d August, 1811, in the eighty-first year of his 
age. 



WoLcoTT, Oliver, LL. D. one of the signers of 
the declaration of independence, was born at East 
Windsor, Connecticut, on the 26th November, 
1726. He was graduated at Yale college in 1747. 
He applied himself to the study of medicine under 
the direction of his brother, but before he was 
established in practice, he was appointed, in the 
year 1751, first sheriff for the county of Litchfield. 
He afterwards filled various offices, and lastly was 
appointed chief judge of the court of common 
pleas for the county. 

On all questions preliminary to the revolutionary 
war, he was a firm advocate of the American cause. 

In July, 1775, he was appointed by congress one 
of the commissioners of Indian affairs for the 
northern department. 

In January, 1776, he attended congress at Phila- 
delphia, and remained with that body till the de- 
claration of independence was adopted and signed. 
He then returned home, and was appointed major- 



'jiy.^ 



general of fourteen regiments ol" the Connecticut 
militia, which were ordered for the defence of New- 
York. 

In November, 1776, he resumed his seat in con- 
gress, and accompanied tliat body to Baltimore, 
during the eventful winter of 1777. In the ensu- 
ing summer he joined the army under general 
Gates, and took the command of the militia : and 
aided in taking the army under Burgoyne. 

In February, 1778, he attended congress at 
Yorktown. 

In 1779, he took the field at the head of a divi- 
sion of the militia for the defence of the sea coast 
of Connecticut. 

From 1781 to 1783, he occasionally attended 
congress. 

In 1784 and '5, he was a commissioner of In- 
dian affairs, and was one of those wdio prescribed 
the terms of peace to the Six Nations of Indians. 

From 1786, he was annually elected lieutenant- 
governor, till 1796, when he was chosen governor, 
which office he held till his death, which happened 
on the 1st December, 1797, in the seventy-second 
year of his age. Governor Wolcott was an inflex- 
ible patriot, 

" Nor kings, nor worlds could warp his steadfiist mind^" 

and the numerous ofiices which he filled, are pledges 
of the universal esteem and confidence of his fel- 
low citizens. Incorruptible integrity and unshaken 
firmness were conspicuous in his character. He 
was the friend of virtue and religion. He was per- 
sonally acquainted with most of the great actors 
of the American revolution, and his name is re- 
corded in connexion with most of its important 
events. 



4i> 



iSo4 

Wilson, Alexander, a celebrated naturalist, 
was born in Scotland about the year 1768. He re- 
ceived the elements of a classical education at the 
grammar school at Paisely, his native town. At 
an early period of life he evinced a 'strong desire 
for literature, and occasionally contributed essays 
and poetry to the periodical publications of the day. 

In 1792, he published "Watty and Meg," a 
poem, which at the time was attributed to Burns, 
and ranks with the best productions of the Scottish 
muse. 

In 1794, ho embarked for America, and arrived 
at Philadelphia, where he procured employment as 
a copperplate printer. After various changes of 
residence and employment, he at length solicited 
and received an engagement from the trustees of 
the Union School, on the Schuylkill, near Philadel- 
phia. It was here that he contracted an intimacy 
w^ith Mr. Vv''i}iiam Bartram, the naturalist, which 
continued unabated to the last moments of his ex- 
piring friend. 

His friend, whose long life had been spetit in 
travels and researches into nature, perceiving the 
turn of his mind for natural history, 'took every 
pains to encourage him in a study, which, while it 
expands the faculties, and purifies the heart, in- 
sensibly leads to the contemplation of the glorious 
Author of nature. 

Mr. Bartram possessed some works on natural 
history, particularly those of Catesby and Edwards ; 
these Mr. Wilson attentively perused, and found 
himself enabled, even with his slender stock of in- 
formation, to detect errors and absurdities into 
which these authors had fallen. 

Having perused all the works of naturalists, par- 
ticularly those relating to the birds of America, 
and finding them teeming so much with theories, 
fables, and misrepresentations, that he no longer 
looked upon them as authority, but turned to ex- 



ploring the fields and the woods as his only safe 
guide. 

Having satisfied his mind of the utility of a cor- 
rect history of the birds of North America, he ap- 
plied himself with unremitted exertions to the ac- 
complishment of this favourite work. 

In 1807, he made several excursions into the 
western parts of Pennsylvania to procure speci- 
mens, and in the following year, under the patron- 
age of S. F. Bradford, Esq. of Philadelphia, the 
first volume of that splendid work made its appear- 
ance. From this moment he began to emerge 
from the vale of obscurity, and attain that enviable 
distinction in the republic of «?cience and letters, 
which it is the lot of but few to enjoy. 

In 1810, he published a second volume. Shortly 
after its appearance, he took a tour as far as New- 
Orleans, and returned in the course of the next 
year to Philadelphia with the fruits of his industry 
and perseverance, including several specimens of 
birds hitherto unknown. 

In 1812, he made an excursion to the eastward, 
for the purpose of collecting specimens, and of 
adding to his stores of knowledge. In the mean 
time the publication advanced as rapidly as a due 
regard to correctness and elegance would permit. 

Besides the journeys already mentioned, he 
made excursions to the sea shore in pursuit of the 
waders and webfooted tribes ; which he found in 
immense numbers. The aggregate of his peregri- 
nations amounted to upwards of ten thousand 
miles. 

In the early part of the year 1813, he published 
the seventh volume of the American Ornithology. 
He immediately made preparations for the suc- 
ceeding one, but unfortunately his great anxiety to 
conclude the work, condemned him to an excess of 
toil, which, inflexible as was his mind, his bodily 
frame wos unable to bear. He was attacked by a 



<55G 

disease which, after a few days of illness, put a 
period to his useful life, August 23, 1813. 

As a naturalist, perhaps no age or nation can 
lay claim to one who was more eminently qualified. 
He was indebted for his ideas, not to books, which 
err, but to nature which is infallible ; and the in- 
estimable transcript of her work, which he has be- 
queathed to us, possesses a charm which affects 
us the more, the better we become acquainted with 
the delightful original. 



Ward, Artemas, the first major-general in the 
American army, was graduated at Harvard college 
in 1743, and was afterwards a representative in the 
legislature. When the war commenced with 
Great Britain, he was appointed by congress first 
major-general, July 17, 1775. After the arrival of 
Washington, in July, when disposition was made 
of the troops for the siege of Boston, the command 
of the right wing of the army at Roxbury was in- 
trusted to general Ward. 

He resigned his commission in April, 1776, 
though he continued for some time longer in com- 
mand at the request of Washington. He after- 
wards devoted himself to the duties of civil life. 
He was a member of congress, both before and 
after the adoption of the present constitution. 
After a long decline, in which he exhibited the 
most exemplary patience, he died at Shrewsbury, 
October 28, 1800, aged seventy-three years. 

He was a man of incorruptible integrity. So 
fixed and unyielding were the principles which 
governed him, that his conscientiousness in lesser 
concerns was by some ascribed to bigotry ^'f: 
life presented the virtues of the christian. 

END. 






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